


a single snowflake falls

by chinarai, crypticpanda, Hellyea2nuandmore, mahreemari, stu_dee



Category: Gorillaz
Genre: 2[nu]5 Days of Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Christmas Romance, Established Relationship, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Gen, it all depends on the prompt, there's five of us writing, time jumps, updates are daily, various things really, works are not related unless stated
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-01
Updated: 2018-12-25
Packaged: 2019-09-05 13:17:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 32,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16811398
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chinarai/pseuds/chinarai, https://archiveofourown.org/users/crypticpanda/pseuds/crypticpanda, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hellyea2nuandmore/pseuds/Hellyea2nuandmore, https://archiveofourown.org/users/mahreemari/pseuds/mahreemari, https://archiveofourown.org/users/stu_dee/pseuds/stu_dee
Summary: Noodle and 2D in wintertime, the season, snow, and holiday bringing them together [on a sleigh ride].





	1. is it resolution?

**Author's Note:**

> Day 1: Hot Cocoa  
> Written by: mahreemari, PandaFace, and chinarai
> 
> Noodle makes hot chocolate. She burns the kitchen down.

Noodle padded to the kitchen, stumbling clumsily from lack of sleep. Her hand glid across the aged wallpaper, not a sound to be heard but her own breathing and the heels of her feet hitting the hardwood.

The lights came on with a flicker, no doubt a sign that it was time to finally change the lightbulb, after having dismissed it for such a long time. Not that she would be the one to do it. It was cold and she was tired, also most definitely thirsty and maybe feeling for something sweet.

She opened the cabinet with bleary eyes, blindly reaching up for the metal tin on the topshelf, which she knew had been left here, untouched for the longest of time in favor of the bag of coffee beans on the counter. The tips of her toes straining, a small smile of triumph spread on her face as the cheesy print of Santa Claus and polar bears entered her field of view. She looked at the small container, blowing away the gathered dust from lack of use. A dopey smile curled her lips as she remembered the package of marshmallows still hidden away in one of the cupboards. Just what she needed.

Noodle grabbed the smallest pot she could find, only slightly bigger than her splayed hand, and set it on top of the rusting stovetop. She fiddled with the switch, watching as a tiny flame bloomed to life under the dim kitchen light. She waited for the pan to heat up before turning to the refrigerator to get the milk.

A few seconds later she swirled the hot beverage with a wooden spoon, letting it sit in the pot as she was lost in thought.

2D had always made her hot chocolate. Had made it for her since she was just a small girl, warming her from head to toe after arriving back inside from playing in the snow with Russel. She remembered the taste, how sweet and smooth it was, with the hint of butterscotch always being her favorite part. She had seen him do it once, opening the clear wrappers off the small circles and dropping them into the pot, giving her a sneaky grin when he popped one into his mouth and handed her a piece as well. She laughed then, hands covering her mouth, the butterscotch on her tongue like a little secret.

He also made it for her then, when she arrived on the beach. When neither could sleep from the adrenaline rushing, the sounds of engines roaring and bullets flying, the frantic beep of the alert system still pounding in their ears. He took her hands, placing a dinky little cup in them, steam wafting. She recalled him looking, the cup in her hands, the way the bags of his eyes looked like bruises on his skin, and the small intake of breath when she reached up to lift her mask just barely enough to expose her mouth.

It had tasted salty, more like sea water than hot cocoa and it was grainy and somewhat fishy but it was warm and the little bit of butterscotch that didn't melt away felt like a kiss as it sat pressed against her lip. She had felt so warm then, the way her ears warmed as she found herself smiling at him then.

Back in the present, Noodle was still dreaming of long gone times, her face content and without worry. That was.

Until she noticed the smoke.

Her sleep deprived brain took a second to catch up with what was going on. With squinting eyes she stared at the end of her wooden spoon. Which was on fire. Alright. 

Wait.

No.

Not alright.

Her instincts suddenly kicking in, she threw the stick across the room, instantly regretting her action.

She could only watch in horror as the old, dry wallpaper caught fire, the smoke already gathering under the roof.

Curse Murdoc and him insisting on not getting a fire extinguisher. Or anything else ensuring the safety of this house that is.

She gathered up the discarded towels thrown across the counter and sprinted towards the fire, her own safety be damned. Before she could do anything though, a sizzling sound made her stop. Her eyes torn wide open, she turned around, expecting the worst.

She should have probably turned off the stove first.

What should she do what should she do whatshouldshedowhatshouldshedo?

With her hands in her hair, she looked from one side of the room to the other, the panic slowly taking over. This wasn’t what she was trained to do. She could handle taking two or three or fifteen men at once, but how the hell was she supposed to contain a fire? After all she never…

She slapped herself.

_Get yourself together._

She’s been through so much worse. She travelled the world, lived in a country without even knowing the language as a little child, no one she could turn to. She lived with these three chaotic men, found her origins on her own without any help or even clues.

If she could live through all that, she could also extinguish a tiny fire.

She moved fast, rushing back to the stove and twisting the switch off before grabbing the pot and tossing it in the sink, blasting chilly water and soaking the towels up. She ran away from it after a quick breath, allowing the pot to fill, and towards the burning wall, the sopping towels in hand. Noodle batted at the fire, light and swift thumps when the towels smacked the burned wood, water droplets flying into her face through the smoke. She worked furiously, her frustration of the night coming up like acid.

The band had fought over Monopoly, Russel being in the lead of them by a fragile hair and Murdoc as the unhonest banker. She thought of the tense atmosphere as the dice rolled lamely, falling between 2D’s legs, his jolly claim of rolling a double six and landing on the unpurchased Boardwalk enough to have Murdoc scrambling across the table, the cards and pieces and paper money fluttering about like confetti, and over to the singer, his green claws aiming for his neck. She and Russel tried to separate the two, that was, until someone’s boot kicked his chin and caused him to jump in too, shouting about lousy cheaters.

And then they left, one by one, without a single word to her aside from the door slamming each time, as if unaware that the others had left hours apart.

Noodle beat away at the last of the dying fire, the towels, now stained black with soot, dropping to the ground with a muted splat. She would deal with it later.

She turned back to the kitchen sink sluggishly, lazily turning off the valve.

Daylight started to filter through the windows, but she didn’t care anymore, taking her time back to her room and dropping on top of her mattress face first with a loud groan. Without looking, she grabbed for her phone from under her pillows, the bright LED causing her to squint with minor discomfort.

She swiped through her notifications, thumb stilling when she spies 2D’s name amongst them. She presses his name, eyes widening just so when she reads his messages.

_[3:00AM]: i’m going to get some air._

_[4:15AM]: it’s a bit unfair, i really wanted to win this time._

_[5:38AM]: do you know how cold it is right now?_

_[5:53AM] met the guys at the mart, muds is buying us beer for once._

_[6:10AM] getting more cocoa powder too, be back soon._

Noodle lets out a tiny and happy huff, ears picking up the sound of the front door creaking and shoes scuffling around.

_[6:41AM]: ready in ten?_

**[6:42AM]: extra butterscotch please.**

_[6:42AM]: always._


	2. or black and white flying balloons?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 2: Doll Maker  
> Written By: crypticpanda

The humming of the machines. The ticking of the clocks. The noises from the crowds just outside her shop.

She couldn’t tell them apart anymore.

It was just background music as she moved among her creations, beautiful, perfect but oh so lifeless creations.

She thought she had everything.

She thought it would last forever.

This reality of hers.

…

But it wouldn’t.

_He_ turned everything upside down.

What she thought was right and wrong, good and evil, light and darkness or black and white; all of these suddenly made no sense anymore.

From the minute _he_ first set foot into her sanctuary, her life was thrown upside down. She was stuck. Stuck between one second and another. A broken clock hand, jumping from one digit to the next, back and forth, never going beyond. But _he_ turned her life into a search. A hunt, a pursuit. Trying to find a way to capture _his_ very essence. An impossible quest as she soon discovered. He was impossible. No porcelain could ever come close to the texture of _his_ skin, no fibre to the pale blue of _his_ windblown hair, no jewel to _his_ blood-filled eyes. He was fully and utterly impossible.

She couldn’t find herself not thinking about him. About what material to try next. Glazed or unglazed porcelain? Maybe something completely different? Clockwork mechanisms or simple ball-joints? Would she have to try different paint for the next doll or could she try mixing the ones she used before? Even as Katsu slept in her lap, and her hand went through the soft fur, she wondered. What would his hair feel like? Did she still have some obsidian eyes left from one of her past projects? When would he come by again? Would he smile at her again like he did the last time?

She fell asleep, dreaming of soft hands and gentle smiles.

…

He visited every week.

Every time he wore the same rumpled waistcoat and the same worn out leather pants. The broken pocket watch always present, its delicate chain swinging with every move he made. She wondered how he was able to still come in at the same time every time.

He watched as she worked on his order, a small doll, its exterior simplistic, but its interior an elaborate mechanism, the limbs, head and eyes moving once wound up.

She caught herself dragging out the work.

She didn’t want him to leave.

Because he would leave once she was done.

She wouldn’t be able to see him anymore. The image of him would fade and she would never find what made him so impossible. What made him _him_.

She feared the day she would finish this doll.

She had one month left.

One month left to complete his doll. Both of them.

…

She couldn’t finish his doll. One of them at least. He was still as impossible as he was when he first walked in. He proved that by walking in a day after she sent him off with the finished product. He walked in just like he always did, only this time with a bouquet of sunflowers in his arms.

…

She learned he grew the sunflowers on his balcony.

…

As the weather turned cold, she watched as he created beautiful ornaments, interwoven pieces of wire and scrap metal, dried petals decorating the ends. She held her breath as he carefully placed his creation behind her ear, the vibrant yellow of the sunflowers petals creating a stark contrast to her hair. She stood there, looking up at him in awe.

Impossible. Truly and utterly impossible.

…

He was nervous the first time he asked her out.

They went to see the parade. Together they released their balloons into the sky, watching them disappear into the snowy night sky.

…

His eyes, black holes devoid of life, his skin a sickly pale white. And yet he was so much more alive than anything she could have ever created. Why was she only now realizing this? All this time she spent trying to replicate him, copy something so wonderful, beautiful, imperfectly perfect, she was wasting time she could have spent on finding the things that made him so very much impossible. The way he squinted around her store, searching for her with his bad eyes. The way his lips curled up whenever he finally spotted her among her machines and lifelike dolls. The way his fingers would fidget with the chain on his broken pocket watch. The way he would grin, showing off his tooth gap, as he shoved a new bundle of sunflowers in her direction.

So she gave up.

She gave up trying to copy him onto a lifeless form.

She accepted it was impossible.

And she was okay with that.

She didn’t need a doll. Not when he was right there, sitting next to her, watching silently as she worked on her last-minute Christmas orders.

She now knew what his eyes looked like from up close. She knew how his hair felt like, its different shades depending on the light. His smooth skin, almost as white as the snow on the streets. Still she didn’t even try. Because she knew her impossible man couldn’t be contained in lifeless porcelain.

And that was just fine by her.


	3. floating off, too colorful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 3: Surprise Visit  
> Written By: stu_dee
> 
> Heya. I’m stu_dee and I’ll be doing some prompts for this story. The 2nu kids are from my au, and some of the places are as well. I hope you guys enjoy! Ages of my 2nu kids/ 2d and Noodle in this part: 2d: 47 Noodle: 35 Millie: 7 Robert: 5 Girls: 3 weeks old.

Stuart felt as if every bone in his body was going to crush. Sure, Russel just wanted to greet his friend by giving him a hug, but the taller gentleman felt as if the drummer was going to squeeze him to death. Was it necessary to squeeze him so hard? It had only been a few weeks since he had last seen him. Finally, Russel eased his hug off Stuart. He let out a gasp for air and took in as much air as he could get into his lungs.

“So, how was your flight?” Stuart implored, sounding out of breath. He began to walk, and Russel followed, by his side holding his carry-on bag. “It was nice. Got there early to get through security, it was pretty busy, but other than that, decent.” He answered, trying to make his way through the numerous people trying to get where they needed to be. The two were walking over to the baggage claim area, or they were trying to find it at least. The airport smelled of fast food, and freshly brewed coffee as they were on their way. They didn’t speak much while trying to get across to the other side of the airport. 2D slipped his hands into his front pockets of the rather old jeans he was wearing, his thumbs outside of the pockets running against the fabric as they walked along. He was anxious being around so many people. This was his way of trying to focus on something different. So, he played around with the loose hem in his right pocket, trying to be distracted by that. It had been a while since he had been around so many people at once. He just wanted to get to baggage claim as fast as possible and avoid bumping into people. Stu began to pick up his pace, and Russel tried keeping up with his taller friend. He raised a brow at his actions but continued walking as fast as his legs would let him.

Stu looked up at the white sign above him and cheered in relief in the back of his head as he saw the words in black print across the board say ‘baggage claim’ with a sign pointing to the right. He didn’t think twice and walked down the right side of the hall. The sound of the machine going around was slightly heard over people talking, and Stu could see that baggage claim was rather busy, what a surprise. “Airports are just busy this time of year, I suppose.” Russel said, as he made his way over to the machine. 2D let Russel get in front of him, not wanting to deal with the craziness. It was that time of the year again, when everybody was going to visit their relatives and 2D could certainly tell. He stood there to the side, waiting for Russel to get his things as he thought to himself. If there was one thing he could look forward to, it would be getting to spend time with his family, and Murdoc not being there. Last time Murdoc had come over for the holiday season, Noodle had made him get a hotel, and leave with a taxi. He had become too intoxicated, and started throwing anything he could find, which scared the kids to an extent. This year would be a calm, and happy Christmas.

As Stu waited, he thought of the fact that Noodle didn’t even know Russel was coming. This whole trip was a surprise. Noodle was disappointed that he couldn’t come. He had told her that he had to deal with some family business. The last time he had seen Noodle and Stuart was when their triplets were born. That had been about three weeks ago. However, he and Stuart had been planning something out since the last time he had come. They had tried to keep it as secret as possible. The two would even plan the surprise trip at some of the most inconvenient times. Noodle had questioned a few times why he had left a tab open on the computer for airplane tickets. He would always have to come up with different excuses. Noodle was worried that he was planning on running away but pushed away at the thoughts of him doing such a thing. She knew he wouldn’t do such a thing, and that it most certainly was for a good reason.

“Hey, ‘D” Russel placed his suitcase down on the ground, calling his friend, “Do ya mind givin’ me a hand here?” 2D’s ears perked up as he heard his nickname. He quickly walked over to Russel. “Sure thing,” he bent over to get one of Russel’s bags, and Russel had popped up the handle on his suitcase. “I haven’t been here since you flew in a few weeks ago.” Stu said, trying to make small talk, he reached in the back pocket of his pants for his keys. They were finally trying to find the way out of the airport. “Oh yeah,” Russel replied, keeping up with the pace of the taller man. “That’s right.” He gave a bit of a smile, remembering the events that had happened the last time he had been with him. “Things have been rather interesting, that’s for sure.” 2D remarked, approaching the exit. “I know, I’ve seen all of it on Facebook.” Russel dragged his suitcase along, following 2D as they exited through the automatic sliding doors.

“Yeah, how’ve they been?” he’d had been given an earful already but wanted to hear more. The two stopped to check before crossing the road over to the parking lot. “All are home now,” Stu managed to reply, making his way down the lot along with Russel. He found his car, unlocked it, which made a rather shrill honk and popped the trunk. “We were both pretty shocked to see Lydia be home so early, but she’s doing so well. All of them are.” He cracked a smile as he placed Russel’s luggage in his new Suburban’s trunk. They walked to the opposite sides of the car, and opened their doors, “Yeah, I heard, Noodle and you’ve got your hands full, now.” Russ adjusted himself in his seat, buckling the belt. The two closed the doors, and Stu inserted the keys in the slot. “Please excuse the mess, I guess it’s just gonna be more common to have a messy car from now on,” Stu chuckled, turned the keys, starting up the car. He put his right arm over Russ’ seat, turned his head and backed out of his parking space. “No worries, it’s no worse from back when we were all together.” the older man replied as a tune played in the background on the radio.

The car began to move, as they began to exit the airport. It was only a thirty-minute drive from Miami International Airport to him and Noodle’s house. They lived in Lake Park, or at least the better part of it. One hour to Palm Beach, thirty minutes to Miami. Stu had been working from home as a lawyer for the past 5 years, and a job had opened in Florida, thanks to a few people quitting. Noodle and he did a lot of thinking before making one of the biggest decisions as a couple. After thinking and debating, they decided to go. So, they risked it all and had moved to the States. Noodle being pregnant, and the kids moving schools had been a problem, and all of them were stressed out. Thankfully, everything had worked out, but they had only been there for nearly half a year and were still adjusting to the American lifestyle.

The two men talked on the way home, the frequent question of how they thought Noodle would act kept being brought up. All they knew was that it would be a full house for Christmas. Stu’s parents and Russ would be there, along with their family of seven. It was about to be a loud house. “One more light and we’ll be there.” Stu sighed, his thumbs tapping at the steering wheel. He was starting to get excited. Surprisingly the sensation of having butterflies appeared in his core. Tapping on the screen of the radio, he pressed the call button and clicked Noodle’s name deciding it would be best to call her.

The sound of the Bluetooth waiting for her to pick up, and the blinker of his car was all that was heard. Stuart waited patiently for the light to change so he could turn. He was becoming more excited by the second. The light turned green, and he turned the vehicle to the left, entering a street. “Hello,” Noodle answered, she was on the other line, in their room, Julia in her arms as she was putting away some laundry. “Ello? Noodle,” she sounded rather fuzzy on the car’s speakers. “Yes, this is she. What is it, Stuart?” she asked, irritated. She opened the drawer with her foot, as she had her phone up to her ear, the baby in her arms and the laundry in her free hand. She bent down to put a shirt in the bottom drawer, nearly dropping her phone in the process. “I’m on my way home. I’ll be there in a few minutes.” he smirked, driving even slower when they waited outside their gated neighborhood. He rolled down the window to enter the passcode for entry, as he heard his wife sigh on the on the other side of the phone, “Did you get the pudding mix?” Noodle placed her phone down on their dresser and decided to talk to him on speaker. She already had her hands full as is. It would probably just be easier to do so. “Oh no, love I’m so sorry, I totally forgot to.” He apologetically replied, feeling awful for forgetting.

He pressed the numbers on the pin pad with his left index finger, waiting for a response. Russel just sat there, completely quiet as he looked outside of his window to look at plants which decorated the neighborhood sign. “Alright, we really don’t need it anyways.” She sounded a bit snappy about it. Turning down their street, Stuart awaited to see her response to what he said next, “I got something even better, though.” he replied to her, sounding mischievous. “Oh really,” Noodle was getting more frustrated “like what?” she made her way to the living room, her phone inside of an empty laundry basket on her hip and the baby still in her arms. “You’ll see in a minute.” he tried not to let out a cackle as he pulled into their driveway. He hoped she wouldn’t freak out too much.

Noodle hung up and was rather confused. She grabbed her phone out of the laundry basket and placed the basket down on the ground. The sound of a game show from the television in the living room was heard as she stood there, questioning. Noodle rolled her eyes, wanting to turn off any bad thoughts. She was already stressed enough. She walked into the living room, where his parents were, and cradled Julia in her arms “Noodle, is everything alright?” David called, a Sudoku puzzle book in his hands. “No, everything is fine.” “You sure,” his blue eyes looked at the woman, with a puzzled look on her face. Rachel had fallen asleep. “Here, let me hold the baby.” He put down his book and opened his arms. Noodle walked over to him, ‘Something better?’ she thought to herself, ‘what could be something bet-’ she paused in her steps. “He better have not gotten a damn dog.” she mumbled under her breath. She carefully handed Julia to her father-in-law before making her way to the door. “A dog?” David said, looking down at his granddaughter’s face, adjusting the hat which covered her head. He knew the little girl couldn’t understand him as she saw that she was wanting to fuss. He rocked her in his arms, trying to soothe her. David heard the door open, and saw Noodle just stand there, waiting. A dog. That was the last thing they needed at the moment.

“Hey Russ, lemme go inside first, stay out here in the car.” Stu said, turning off the car, he took the keys out of the ignition. “Alright, D.” Russ was more than excited to see Noodle and held his hands in his lap. He couldn't wait to see her reaction. He hoped it wouldn’t stress her out even more than she already was.

Stu walked up to the front of the house, and saw Noodle there, with her arms crossed, “I know what you did,” she muttered, the same expression glued onto her face. Her brow furrowed, and he could tell she was not pleased. How did she know? “What?!” he was shocked, how did she know that he had gotten Russel. Was she this mad? “You better go and return it.” she was getting disgusted at what she thought he did, “NOW.” Noodle gritted her teeth. “Return what!?” Stu bit at his lip as a very angry Noodle ignored what he said. She was sure that he had gotten an unwanted dog. “I’m going to go do it myself.” she snatched the keys out of his hands as Stu ran after her, blocking her from moving. “Get out of my way, Stuart!” she said, trying to get through him. “NO!” she pushed him aside and walked through the door. She made her way down the small pathway to where the car was parked in the driveway.

Russel noticed Noodle, and smiled, waiting for her response. ‘Why does she look so angry?’ he thought, scrunching his eyebrows together in confusion. “Show me where the dog is.” Noodle was absolutely upset that he didn’t even talk this through with her. Sure, they had talked about it in the past, and she had clearly cut it off, but him doing such a thing without asking her totally made her even more upset.

She looked up for a split second and noticed somebody inside the car. Noodle paused in her tracks. “Is that?” she couldn’t even think. She thought her eyes were playing tricks on her. Stu stood next to her, and looked down at Noodle, “Is that Russel?” Noodle walked over to the car, and Stu followed behind. He was becoming relieved that she saw someone familiar, and not a dog.

Noodle tapped on the window, Russ looked at her. Noodle didn’t feel dumb now, she knew it was him. She grabbed the handle on the car door and opened the black vehicle’s passenger door, and Russel unbuckled his seat-belt, then managed to get out. Noodle immediately forced him into a hug. She wrapped her arms around his torso, or she at least tried to. She felt so happy to see him again, and a million different emotions washed over her as she stood there, hugging him. A wave of relief was flushed through her, and Stu stood there, watching them embrace each other. He was happy to see that she was happy. Stu made his way over to join the group hug. Being the tallest, he threw his arms around all three of them, before Russ spoke up, “Uh, ‘D?” 2D opened his eyes, and looked at Russel, “This is a bit awkward.” “M’kay I’m sorry,” he removed himself from the hug, as well as Noodle. “Well, it certainly is nice to see a familiar face rather than a dog.” She stated, popping the trunk as she assumed he had luggage. “A dog?” Stu’s voiced raised in curiosity. “Well I thought you had gotten a dog without talking to me about it.” She replied, pulling Russel’s suitcase out of the vehicle’s trunk. “Absolutely not!” he didn’t know why she would think of him doing such a thing. “But, you were right.” Noodle closed the car’s trunk, and walked over to the other two men, “This is much better than a box of pudding I wanted,” she retorted, handing 2D a bag, “Well, I am glad to hear that.” Russel said, taking his suitcase from Noodle.

They all made their way up to the house and entered the door one by one. “Hey Stu,” Noodle called him, looking up at his face, “Do you mind going to the guest bathroom? I need some hand soap for the front bathroom.” “Sure thing.” Stu said, looking down at Noodle before making his way to the guest bathroom. To his knowledge, nobody was in there. He walked down the walls filled with framed photos neatly hung up, and the nice little chestnut colored table that sat in the middle of the hall. His footsteps echoed down the hall, and he placed his hand on the doorknob, and twisting it to open. To his surprise, he heard water splashing around, and was startled. “Is that you, Robert? Millie?” no response, just more splashing, “It’s ok you’re not in troub-“ he opened the door and then immediately closed it.

Did he see who he thought he just saw?

“The bloody hell do you think you’re doing?!” a raspy voiced called out. Yep. It was who he thought it was. “Murdoc” Stu shook, a bit nervous that he had made the much older man upset, “W-when did YOU come here?!” Stu was in an utter state of shock. He heard Noodle come down the hallway. “Noodle wanted me to come over for Christmas!” he snarled, pushing himself into the bubbles in the bathtub. “Are you sure?” Stu asked, looking at Noodle walking towards him, “Of course I am sure!” Murdoc was griping at the fact that Stuart had to ask him so many questions.

“Stuart, Stuart!” Noodle yelled, trying to whisper, “It’s ok, I wanted to surprise you!” Stu rolled his eyes. “Surprise, how is THIS a surprise? You know what happened last time!” Murdoc rolled his eyes, hearing the two insult him behind the closed door. “It’s ok! Nothing bad is going to happen on my-“ “Would ya two PLEASE stop acting like I cannot hear you?!” Murdoc croaked, splashing water all over the place. “Fine, ok, Murdoc.” Noodle led Stu away from the bathroom, and to their room. The two sat down on their bed, as Noodle put her arms around her legs and propped her head on them. “Noodle love does this mean that, we surprised each other?” Noodle waited a moment before replying. She wanted to mutter something under her breath, instead nothing.

“Babe, did we really?” Stuart called again. Noodle turned her head to look at Stu’s face, he seemed rather confused. “Yes,” she whispered in a hushed tone. She sat in a more comfortable position and crisscrossed her legs. “We did.” She finished before letting out a chuckle. Stu scooted across the bed to her and laid his head in her lap. Noodle began to play with his short, wavy hair. “Well, I guess we’ll have a very Merry Christmas.” Stu said, looking up at her. “It seems we will.” She said, releasing his hair in her fingers as he moved up to kiss her. They embraced each other, and Noodle put her hands on his shoulders as he placed his warm, gentle hands on each side of her face. The two released the kiss, and Stuart ran his right thumb across her cheek, his other hand twirling a piece of loose hair in his fingers. He leaned in one more time for a quick kiss, and she kissed him back. Noodle pulled back, and gave him a warm smile, “I think we have some people to make dinner for,” 2D gave a silent nod as Noodle got off the bed, and he went to go follow her.

These next few days were going to be full of business, laughter and long talks, but it was all worth the time to enjoy with their family and surprise visitors.


	4. you put it to your counting sand

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 4: Midnight Kiss  
> Written By: Hellyea2nuandmore

New year’s eve: a day signalling change and the new opportunities that the next year would bring with it.

Murdoc always celebrated the event with a huge party (what else), inviting all of their past collaborators to dance, drink and pretty much do whatever they pleased. Seeing as Murdoc was too lazy and 2D was too forgetful, Noodle and Russel were usually the ones left to actually organize the damn thing.

As was the case this year it seems. The living room was filled with the various artists they had worked with over the years and the music playing loudly over the speakers was making it hard to actually have a conversation with anyone. Russel was trying in vain to keep things under control, failing miserably. There would most definitely be noise complaints from the neighbors come tomorrow but for now Noodle decided to ignore that.

The evening was going pretty well so far, she thought. Murdoc wasn’t yelling about them doing something wrong and she had plenty of opportunities to dance and let loose, which she had taken full advantage of. Currently she was sat on a sofa, surrounded by a group of guests, with a drink in her hand as she listened to the constant chatter.

Midnight was approaching quickly, she noticed as she glanced up at the clock, serving as a quick reminder of her plan to celebrate the new year with a certain blue haired singer. Sitting up straight, Noodle looked around, hoping to get a glimpse of him. She felt slightly disappointed when she couldn’t find him at first.

Just as she gave up trying to find his blue mop of hair, she heard a glass shatter as it fell to the floor, followed by Murdoc yelling loud enough to be heard over the music.

Noodle stood up in a rush and made her way over to the bar where the commotion was occurring. She found Murdoc yelling at 2D who was cowered on the ground, trying to clear up the shards of glass, presumably having dropped it just a few seconds ago.

“Can’t even hold onto one glass,” Murdoc spat out angrily, words slurred from drinking so much over the course of the evening. “Bloody hell faceache you’re useless sometimes.”

“What’s going on?” Noodle intervened quickly before the bassist could shoot more insults in 2D’s direction.

“Faceache dropped his glass and now he’s made a bloody mess,” Murdoc grumbled glaring in the singer’s direction. 2D flinched away and continued picking at the shards at a faster pace.

“Glasses break, it happens, no need to make such a fuss,” Noodle pointed out quickly. “You’re yelling so loud the whole room can hear you over something so small?”   
  


Murdoc frowned and pointed at her dramatically. “Look here missy, these glasses are expensive,” he argued weakly, words getting even more slurred.

Noodle rolled her eyes and was ready to argue back but was stopped by the sound of 2D yelping in pain. He quickly tried to cover it up, shying away from Noodle as she reached towards him. 

2D quickly tried hiding his hand but she had already seen the red on his palms. He had accidentally cut himself on the glass shards.

The argument with Murdoc was instantly forgotten as Noodle’s focus moved to the singer. “Dammit ‘D,” she muttered as she crouched down in front of him. “You’ve got to be careful with sharp things.”

2D looked up at her with a sheepish grin. “I know,” he mumbled apologetically.

Noodle sighed and gently urged him to stand up, carefully guiding him out of the room to treat the wounds.

“Hey, what about this mess you made?” Murdoc yelled after them.

“If you care about it so much, clean it up yourself!” Noodle shot back as they left the room, kicking the door shut with a loud slam.

\----

The kitchen was blissfully silent and Noodle found herself very grateful for that as they entered.

Leaving 2D to wash his hands under the sink, she began digging through the kitchen cupboards for the first aid kit. It always seemed to vanish whenever it was needed. She suspected that it was because it was always just thrown into whatever cupboard was in reach.

Aggravated, Noodle quietly muttered to herself in her mother language as she slammed another cupboard shut. “Where is it this time?” she grumbled.

2D turned off the tap and grabbed some of the paper towels to dry his hands. He couldn’t help but wonder the same thing, as he watched her throw open one drawer after another.

“Found it!” Noodle chirped in relief as she pulled the box of various medical stuff out of a cupboard. Moving it over to the table, she motioned for 2D to sit down. Sitting down across from him, she pulled out some wipes and bandages from the box before grabbing one of his hands. Gently, she began to wipe the cuts on his hand to make sure they were all clean.

Glancing up at him, she saw the look on his face. He was staring at her as she bandaged his hand, clearly beating himself up over this. “Stop that,” she instructed sternly.

“Stop what, Noods?” 2D asked in confusion, looking up at her face.

“Blaming yourself for...whatever it is you’re blaming yourself for,” Noodle pointed out as she neatly finished off the bandage.

“How do you know I’m blaming myself?” 2D reluctantly offered his other hand and she began to repeat the process.

“I know the look on your face when you do so,” she pointed out gently.

2D’s shoulders sagged in defeat as he looked away from her. “I…”

“You can tell me, Toochi,” she urged softly, pausing in her movement.

“You seemed to be having fun in there,” he admitted. “I feel bad for making you leave, just because I couldn’t keep my grip on a bloody glass.”

Noodle looked up at him properly and smiled to try and reassure him. “I was planning on finding you anyway,” she chuckled awkwardly.

2D perked up considerably at her words though also visibly confused. “Why’s that?”

Noodle shrugged and looked away suddenly feeling shy.”Because...you know...I just wanted to celebrate new years with you,” she confessed slowly.

“Why would you want to celebrate new year’s with me?” 2D asked curiously. “Why not celebrate with everyone in there?”

Noodle shook her head with a smile, opening her mouth to answer but was cut off by the clock striking midnight.

“Looks like you got what you wanted, love,” 2D smiled.

Noodle chuckled quietly. “Almost.”

2D raised an eyebrow questioningly. “Almost?”

Noodle grinned at him, a mischievous glint in her eye as she leaned forwards and kissed him quickly. As she pulled back he was staring at her, eyes wide in surprise and awe.

“There,” she chirped happily. “Now I got what I wanted.”

2D remained silent as he continued to stare at her, still in slight shock over what just happened, making her slightly nervous. Had she done the wrong thing? Did he hate it?

Slowly, however, he began to grin at her, instantly calming her nerves.

They chose to remain silent, simply enjoying each other’s company in the kitchen while everyone else celebrated in the other room. They weren’t entirely sure what to say or what would happen now. It was clear things would change between them, even if it wasn’t clear what that meant just yet.

Noodle was confident that they would figure it out even if it took them awhile to do so.

That’s just what they do.


	5. falling with the world tonight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 5: Reunited  
> Written By: chinarai
> 
> hey this is Chi and I bring you some mild angst *cracks knuckles*

The cab drives slowly through snow-covered streets, making gentle turns to reach the destination. An old Christmas song plays on the radio, and the driver doesn’t speak to her, busying himself by tapping his fingers on the wheel to the slow, melodic beat. That’s fine with her. She’s too distracted playing with the keys in her hands, light from the lamp posts catching on the metal and making it glimmer. 

It’s been another few years, long months spent apart because tension had gotten too high. Noodle kept in touch with them as much as possible, but Russel had been the only one to respond frequently. Even Ace, now a honorary member of the band that made occasional appearances in their last shows, spoke to her more than Murdoc and 2D combined. She met up with him a few times, and saw Russ whenever she flew to New York, but she hadn’t seen the other two since that day. 

Last she’d heard, Murdoc holed himself up in Germany to spend his days drinking. Ace is the only one he’s willing to see, and he keeps them updated on their bassist’s life. For the first time in so long it seemed he kept away from trouble, as their lawyer had never once contacted them to inform the band that Murdoc was once again the focus of another lawsuit. He read her messages but never replied, and if he did it was a simple thumbs-up emoji, such as when she had congratulated him on his birthday. 

2D, on the other hand, never got her messages, or Russel’s or Ace’s. He must have turned his phone off, if not thrown it away, in his haste and anger to leave the Spirit House few months after Murdoc escaped from jail and returned to them. Once again they had fought, once again the band split apart to cool down.

Noodle doesn’t want to wonder if it’s best to break the band up for once and for all, the same way she doesn’t want to face the fact that being ignored by 2D  _ hurts _ . She had thought this break would make it easier, would make her head clearer as her feelings diminished and eventually disappeared, but all it did was grow stronger and cause her pain. 2D was - is her best friend, and not hearing from him for so long left her with an ache in her chest that wouldn’t leave. 

She had never planned to come clean about her feelings for fear of ruining what they have, and now that she knows what it is like to get total radio silence, Noodle isn’t going to change that.

The cab slows to a stop in front of the Spirit House, and the driver steps out of the car to help her with her bags. The light of the living room is off and it makes her pause for the briefest second. Russel or Ace should arrive soon, as they agreed to meet up with her for the holidays. It’s no surprise that she’s the first to arrive. Her phone is still turned off from her flight and she pushes it away inside her purse, looking for her wallet, paying the driver after he’s placed her luggage on the welcome doormat. She watches him drive away, hands shoved in her pockets, fingers curled tight around the keys. 

Noodle stands there long minutes after he’s gone, nose turning pink and cold, breath leaving her in wisps of fog. And then she turns, inserting the key into the lock to find that the door is already unlocked. It’s unlikely that they forgot to  _ lock the front door _ before leaving - Russel always checks twice. There’s no coat on the rack, no shoes or signs of anyone in the living room. Silently, she deposits her luggage inside and shuts the door with a muted click. Katsu keeps quiet in her transport box.

After unravelling the scarf from around her neck and hanging it on the rack with her peacoat, Noodle stands there in the still silence of the living room before wandering further into the house with soundless steps.

Their tiny kitchen is empty, the light above the sink turned on. A dirty spoon rests at the bottom of the basin, stained brown with leftover chocolate. Noodle furrows her brows, curling her fingers around the drawer and tugging it open, eyes landing on her collection of sharp knives. It’s been a while since she’s had to fight someone, and even longer since she had to wield a weapon, but she’s confident she isn’t rusty, and the weight of the knife in her hand is familiar enough. 

Noodle creeps through the house, avoiding creaky floorboards on her way upstairs. The upper floor is mostly dark save from a beam of light coming from her bedroom. It makes something inside her boil, the audacity that someone broke into their house and is currently going through her stuff. She takes a deep breath and holds the handle tighter, approaching the door and preparing to attack. She stands on the doorway and - 

Drops her knife. 

Standing in her room, 2D startles, dropping the mug he’s holding and spilling hot cocoa all over her floor as it shatters loudly. He whirls around on the balls of his sock-clad feet, eyes wide and mouth agape, rendered speechless when he spots her there. Noodle is sure she’s a mirrored image of him. Her brain freezes, and for a long moment they stand here, staring at each other, incapable of moving or saying anything. 

She’s the first to recompose herself, straightening her spine from its slouched, stealthy position, forcing her fingers to uncurl, painfully aware of the places where her nails bit into the skin of her palm. Her heart refuses to slow down though, because he’s here. After years, he’s here. 2D is in the Spirit House, he’s in her bedroom. He’s back.

He snaps into attention, jumping away from where the hot liquid is soaking his socks. 2D winces - at the pain, at the mess or at the reunion, she doesn’t know - and rubs his neck in his usual self conscious gesture. “Hey, Noodle.” 

His voice makes something shatter inside her. Songs and interviews kept her from forgetting his voice, but nothing compares to the real thing. Noodle grits her teeth together, heat building up behind her eyes. 2D’s eyes widen when her lips quivers. “Noodle-”

“You’re an idiot.” She cuts him off, the first fat tear rolling down her face, quickly followed by others. 2D clamps his mouth shut. “After years of - of silence and not knowing where you were - hell, I couldn’t even tell if you were  _ alive _ , you think - ‘hey Noodle’ is acceptable?” 

This isn’t how she wanted the reunion to go, but she’s been hurting and worrying. 2D looks guilty, though, and it douses the growing flames inside her. She takes a shaky breath, feeling it rattle her ribcage, and wipes her face with the back of her hands. 

“I…” He begins, uncertain, fiddling with his fingers. “I’m sorry. I was angry at Murdoc and it was wrong of me to ignore you and Russ.” She nods vigorously, now angry at herself for getting angry at him, angry for crying too. “I read your messages and I thought... It’d be a good surprise to show up here. Guess I was wrong.” 

She had sent him a text inviting him for the holiday meeting - sent one to Murdoc too, so they could spend one Christmas together again - but hadn’t gotten any response. “No! I’m happy to see you here, 2D. I’m just-” Noodle leaves it at that, making a vague gesture with her hand, and 2D understands perfectly what she’s trying to say. 

His worried frown softens into a gentle smile, and he walks over the shattered pieces of his mug in one large step, closing the distance between them and enveloping her in a tight, warm hug. She wraps her arms around him just as firmly, clinging to him and burying her face in his chest, smelling that familiar scent she’s come to associate with him. It’s comforting and makes her feel at home, and makes her heartbeat kick up a notch again. When he tucks her head under his chin, it makes her want to confess. 

Noodle remembers the radio silence, however, and presses her lips together. 

They’re together now. It’s enough.


	6. cauterized and beautiful

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 6: White Elephant  
> Written By: stu_dee
> 
> Hello all, it’s stu_dee again. I know this is shorter than the last thing I wrote, but I hope you enjoy nonetheless. Ages of 2D/Noodle & 2nu kids in this part:
> 
> 2D: 48 Noodle: 36 Millie: 8 Robbie: 6 Girls: 1 year

“Oh come on, Stu,” Noodle called, trying her best to slip a pair of printed leggings onto the last of the triplets. Cynthia did not want to cooperate with her mother, “It’ll be fun.” “I’m going to look stupid.” Stu pouted, taking a seat onto the bed. Noodle was still trying to get Cynthia’s clothes on, and she was refusing, still. “A bit of help, please?” Stuart looked up at his wife, knowing exactly what to do.

“Hey, Cindy,” he called to his one-year old “Come to daddy, yeah?” he spread his arms out, and saw Cynthia look up at him, wanting to crawl over to him. Stuart picked her up, and sat her into his lap, distracting her by attacking her with multiple kisses onto her cheeks. Leggings in her hand, Noodle crouched down, and started putting the little girl’s legs into the inserts of the leggings, she pulled them up, and did so in a fashionably quick manner. The little girl did not notice, as her father showered her with kisses, still.

“There we go!” releasing his grip on Cynthia, Stuart let her wander back off onto the bed. She crawled over his knees, not long before Noodle had stood up, and grabbed her into her arms. “Alright Stuart,” she growled,” your turn. Put on the elf shirt, please?” she persisted, looking down at the green shirt which laid on the middle of the bed. Stuart turned his head towards the direction of the shirt. 

He certainly did not want to dress up in such an ugly shirt. “Noodle, please you know I don’t want to wear that.” he stuck his lip out, and stood up from the bed. “Please, do it for the kids.” Noodle egged on. Rolling his eyes, Stu bent down to grab the shirt, and decided to give in to his wife’s pleas.

Stu waited for Noodle to leave the room with Cynthia before changing into the rather ugly shirt. It was not his taste, and he wouldn’t wear it if she had not begged him to, but here he wa now, slipping off his white short sleeve undershirt, changing into the ugly piece of garment. He tossed away his undershirt to the other side of the room, not caring if Noodle would yell at him later about it. Stuart adjusted the green shirt, and sleeves, before looking at himself in the mirror on his door. “Lovely,” he muttered under his breath, “I look like Will Ferell.” His hands pulled at the doorknob, hoping his parents wouldn’t laugh when he opened it. He sighed, and opened it, stepping out of his childhood room. To his surprise, nobody was there to greet him. “That’s funny.” he whispered, before making his way to the back porch area. The TV was playing Andy Williams’ White Christmas. 

In less than an hour, guests would be arriving for the annual Pot family Christmas Eve party. In the meantime, Stu decided to see if there was anything he could do to get ready for the part, without getting laughed at.

Millie took the neatly wrapped present over to the table with multiple gifts onto it. Before heading back, she made sure the ribbon was neatly on the top of it. “Perfect.” adjusting the ends of the ribbon, she placed it onto the tallest gift. She skipped over to her parents, who were sitting next to her grandparents and other relatives. “I think it’s time for you to go in with the other kids.” Noodle said as her daughter made herself comfortable on her mother’s lap. “Nuh uh,” Millie said, twisting a piece of her curly hair, “I wanna play the game!” she said, nearly jumping out of Noodle’s lap from excitement. “No, this is an adult game.” Noodle picked her up under her armpits, and placed her back onto the ground. “No fair!” the 8 year old pouted, but kept her composure. She marched her way over to the sliding glass door, before looking back at her mom, who looked back at her, and shooed her along. 

“I guess we will start now.” Stuart said, getting up from his chair. He folded his hands together, and placed them in front of him in a comfortable way. “You guys know how the game works. Someone picks a number, gets the gift with the number on it. Another person draws, gets that present. They can steal the first person’s present or keep theirs. A present can only be stolen three times. We open them at the end of the game.” 

All twenty two of the people sitting down gave their attention to him, before a bucket was given to one of Stu’s cousins, and he drawed a number out of the bucket, and went over to claim his gift. 

The bucket continued to go around the group, people drawing numbers, and stealing presents from each other. Now was the big moment, Stu was the last to open his present. Everybody was sitting in their seats, talking amongst themselves laughing at the obnoxious gifts they had gotten each other. 

“What is it?” Noodle leaned over, so she could see what the wrapping held underneath. She was bouncing Lydia on her knee, as she had begun to fuss during the middle of the game, and wanted her mom. She looked over her shoulder, waiting for him to unwrap it. What she saw she wanted to ignore. One kid had taken it upon themselves to get paint all over them, while Robbie had somehow gotten what appeared to be marker on his face. Two kids had gotten into the triplets’ playpen, and were roughhousing, and Millie sat in the corner, minding her own business while keeping her two younger siblings occupied.

She hoped that he would just hurry it up, and stop peeling the paper slowly so it wouldn’t rip. Noodle turned her head back to her husband, who was finally undoing the last of the paper. Stuart pulled the item out of the wrapping paper, and looked at it. Noodle’s eyes widened in shock. It was pretty funny, to herself but Stuart shook his head in disappointment. “Alright, who got condoms?” he asked, looking at his relatives in front of them. A few looked up, but one managed to reply, 

“Oh, I did.” Harry, Stu’s uncle said, crossing his right knee over his leg. “Heh, that’s pretty funny.” Stu let out a small laugh. “Oh trust me,” Stu looked back up at his uncle, “You will probably need them, eh?” Harry gave a heavy chuckle, before turning to talk to one of Stu’s cousins. “Excuse me,” Noodle raised her eyebrow, why would he say something like that, “What do you mean that we will ‘probably’ need them?” she suddenly wasn’t amused. Sure, White Elephant was all for gags and fun, but his remark kind of made her upset. “Oh, you guys should probably shut down the baby factory. Last time you tried, it made three.” Harry rolled his eyes. Noodle bit her lip in frustration. She was getting irritated. “Excuse you,” she piped up, standing from her seat with Lydia in her arms, “I’ll have you know that we tried two whole years to try and have these little girls.” why was his uncle so rude? Was it because they never came around all of his family? “Noodle I think we should just stop.” “Stop? He said something which I find rather offensive to me and you.”

Noodle didn’t understand why Stu didn’t think it was offensive. Maybe he just took it as a joke. Maybe she just took it too personally. “I’m serious, how are you supposed to take care of another baby? Ya have five already.” Stu’s uncle replied, ignoring the fact that he made Noodle upset. “Noodle, he’s always like that, Come on, let’s go insi-” “I bet you couldn’t even try to have a baby no matter how much you want, huh?” Noodle smirked, following Stu to the door. “Yeah right, he’s just using you for your features. He don’t actually love you like that.” 

Stu had had enough. He turned around, and furrowed his brow at his absent-minded uncle. “Uncle Harold,” he scowled, chewing his lip trying not to say anything too hurtful. “I do love, Noodle. I love her very much. I wouldn’t have married her in the first place if I wasn’t in love with her.” He didn’t want to get too personal but he wanted to add another detail, which was rather embarrassing to him, “I had to get surgery to be able to have Millie with her. To have these kids. That’s how much I love this woman. You aren’t nothing but a debbie-downer. You always have, and always have been. Have a Merry Christmas, you disgusting waste of a person.” He stood there, as his parents along with the people he grew up with stood there in utter shock. “I’ll- We’ll be going now. Excuse us.” With that, Stuart and Noodle went inside, getting their kids and deciding to go for a ride in the car for a while. Everyone would probably be gone by the time they came back.

\--

  
  


After they got home that night, and had settled down for the evening, Noodle had came out of the shower seeing Stuart on the bed. He had his arms behind his head, and was laying down on the bed, his torso and legs under the comforter. She felt bad about what happened earlier. Noodle went over to his side of the bed and took a seat on it. 

“Hey” she said, looking down at the man, who was lost in his own thoughts. “It’s ok, everything is settled.” She gave him a weak smile. Noodle noticed his eyes look over at her, and they locked eye contact. “Noodle,” he mumbled, Noodle could barely hear him. “You don’t think I love you just because of your features, do you?” Stu raised his eyebrow. He hoped she didn’t think so, that wasn’t the case. 

Noodle took a deep breath and placed her left hand on his chest. “Absolutely not. I know you love me for who I am, inside and out, Stuart Pot.” “Yeh, it’s the truth.” he gave a toothy smile, as Noodle leaned over to kiss him. “You know the same is for me, too. I love every inch of you, both ways.” Stu could feel Noodle’s warm breath on his face. She was absolutely gorgeous to him. She loved every feature of her, and admired her in every way, shape or form. “I think we should be going to bed soon.” Noodle said, getting up and moving over to her side of the bed. She crawled into the sheets, and Stu turned over to his side to welcome him into his arms. She nuzzled under his neck, and he rested his head on top of hers. “Merry Christmas, I love you.” Noodle said, adjusting herself on his chest. “I love you too, Noodle.” he kissed the top of her head before falling asleep, dreaming of tomorrow’s Christmas morning with the woman he loved. 


	7. slide the light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 7: Ticket Home  
> Written By: chinarai
> 
> hey hi, companion piece to Day 5: Reunited so y'all can suffer a little more

2D pushes the curtains aside, letting a stream of light into his tiny apartment for the first time today. It’s well past midday, but he hadn’t bothered to get out of bed until recently. He’d been leaning back on his pillows and letting a cigarette burn away in his grasp, staring at the reporter on the tv screen, letting the hours waste away. 

From here he can’t see the beach, but he can see the white figure of Christ the Redeemer standing tall atop the hill in the distance. Months living in this place forced him to learn to speak and read Portuguese, mostly the bare essentials, as he’s been ignoring as many people as possible since his arrival in 2019. 2D doesn’t want to admit it, but living this recluse lifestyle is lonely.

Very lonely. 

The last time he’d been through self-imposed isolation, Murdoc had a demon come and kidnap him to deliver him straight to Plastic Beach's doors. 2D was a bit paranoid at first here, always looking over his shoulder and checking that no one could possibly gass him in his sleep, but nothing ever happened. Murdoc wasn’t trying to drag him back, and the others - 

2D completely shut the others out, fled the Spirit House and ignored their pleas to stay and work it out. He stares now at his dead phone on the top shelf, lying ignored on that same spot ever since he rented this cheap hotel room, collecting dust. When he would think about them, he'd push it all aside by sipping stale beer and inhaling cigarette smoke. It worked for the most part, and when it didn't he took his pills and waited for them to knock him out.

It's been harder to ignore these thoughts lately. His brain will think back to the time when they were together, living the high of releasing new albums together - for the most part - after years of being apart. He misses it, he misses them. Eating pizza for dinner, all of them crammed up together in the couch to watch a movie, playing pranks every now and then. 2D misses them.

2D misses her the most.

He wonders what the others would say. They probably wouldn't care that his heart longed the most for her companionship, but he and Noodle have always been the best of friends, and they've come so far. They had spent their last active years together, growing even closer, going partying and dancing, playing the newest survival horror games, hitting fast food chains for French fries at odd hours in the morning.

Fingers knead the lean muscle of his chest like they can soothe the pain beneath his ribcage. 2D misses her more than he should.

He decides to plug in the phone, smiling in relief when the screen lights up to show the charging symbol, and heads into his tiny kitchen to look for leftovers. It looks like a cold spaghetti for brunch day, and 2D can't say he minds it. He's eaten some questionable things inside that whale.

When he sinks into his lumpy mattress with plate and fork in hand, 2D sets the phone of top of his bent knee and unlocks the screen. He winces at the high number of unread messages waiting for him on his inbox and taps the icon before he can back down. First he looks through unimportant messages, building up the courage needed to read the things his friends sent him. Distantly, he notices there are no messages from Murdoc. 

The first of familiar names 2D clicks on is Russel’s. The texts are more frequent in his first year away, but Russel never stops trying to contact him despite never getting an answer. 

_ Big Russ [4/21/19, 12:36pm] _

_ Hey, D. Let us know where you’re going man, keep us updated _

_ Big Russ [4/23/19, 5:11pm] _

_ Dude, where are you? We’re worried _

_ Big Russ [5/3/19, 9:47am] _

_ Just call us if something happens, ok? _

_ Big Russ [5/23/19, 1:52pm] _

_ Happy birthday, man. Hope you’re enjoying it _

_ Big Russ [6/30/19, 11:42pm] _

_ Ace and Noodle are coming to New York. Wanna come? _

_ Big Russ [7/19/19, 3:28am] _

_ You’re making her worry, D _

_ Big Russ [9/30/19, 10:13am] _

_ Don’t forget Noodle’s birthday is coming up _

_ Big Russ [10/31/20, 9:38pm] _

_ Did you wish her happy birthday this year? _

_ Big Russ [11/1/21, 8:51pm] _

_ At least let her know you’re okay _

2D has to close his eyes whenever Russ mentions Noodle, and shoves a forkful of pasta into his mouth to force it through the knot in his throat. He reaches the last message and wonders if he should reply, returning to the threads of conversation and going for Ace next. 

_ shade man [4/21/19, 7:21pm] _

_ heard you left man. everything ok? _

_ shade man [4/27/19, 11:21am] _

_ dude, you cant just ghost us _

_ shade man [5/23/19, 2:13pm] _

_ happy birthday d _

_ shade man [7/2/20, 11:33pm] _

_ noodle’s 100x sadder now that you’re gone _

_ shade man [10/31/20, 10:37pm] _

_ today’s her birthday, dont forget _

Ace’s messages are more inconsistent than Russel’s. The last ones read - 

_ shade man [11/27/21, 4:18am] _

_ you better be safe d, because if something happens to you _

_ shade man [11/27/21, 4:19am] _

_ noodle will be devastated _

The spaghetti turns sour in his mouth. 2D puts the half-eaten plate aside, stomach churning. Any more and he might just puke. He wipes his mouth with his palm and takes a deep breath to settle his nerves down, but it doesn’t help. He needed the time away, but now he feels guilty for ignoring her completely. Noodle whom he’d longed to see in his years in Plastic Beach, Noodle that he now left behind. 

With a heavy heart, 2D taps her name.

_ little love [4/21/19, 12:34pm] _

_ where are you going 2D? _

_ little love [4/21/19, 12:37pm] _

_ 2D? _

_ little love [4/21/19, 12:39pm] _

_ please talk to me _

_ little love [4/21/19, 12:44pm] _

_ 2D, please, just -  _

_ little love [4/21/19, 12:45pm] _

_ promise me you’ll be fine? _

_ little love [4/21/19, 12:49pm] _

_ please stay safe _

Her messages are harder to read than the others’. Noodle sends him things frequently, telling him of her day like she’s just walked into the living room and found him there slouched on their couch. She sends pictures of places she’s gone, foods she’s eaten, pictures of Katsu, of a new game, of a thing that reminds her of him. 

But never of herself. 

2D scrolls through the messages, chest growing so tight and restricting he feels breathless. He remembers her face but wishes he could see it through the years. It seems like they’re always parting ways somehow. It’s like El Mañana all over again.

_ little love [5/23/20, 10:27pm] _

_ happy birthday, 2D!! enjoy your day! I bought you your favorite cake _

The picture attached is of a small red velvet cake, the white icing on top decorated with fresh berries. She stuck some blue and white striped candles in it, lit them all up, and he wishes this was a video so he could hear her voice singing him happy birthday, see her face smiling brightly at him.

_ little love [7/16/20, 9:32am] _

_ new york is beautiful. remember when we came here the last time? _

He remembers. The weather was steadily getting colder and they had cuddled together in the van on their way back to their hotel after the show. He had warmed her cold fingers between his hands and blown raspberries on her inner wrist when she sassed him out over something he’d said. God, he misses her so much. 

With every update, with every picture, his heart breaks a little more. In between these, she asks for his whereabouts, wonders how he’s fairing. In some texts, the words are so misspelled he knows she was drinking when sending them, too tipsy to see the keyboard clearly. 

He knows she tried calling him, too, the confirmation written in frantic texts begging him to pick up the phone. 

She buys him a cake every year, lights the candles and snaps a picture. Noodle sends him messages on every important holiday, sends pictures of places and things he would have liked. Her collection of video games keeps on growing and she relays to him a detailed review each time she beats the latest one she got. Katsu finds a way to appear in every picture that ends up in his inbox. Sometimes Noodle is petting her, and 2D stares at her hand for the longest time. 

_ little love [11/30/21, 9:32am] _

_ russ, ace and I are going back to the spirit house for the holidays. murdoc hasn’t replied if he’s coming _

_ little love [11/30/21, 9:33am] _

_ join us? _

That was the last message. 2D set the phone down and carded his fingers through his unruly hair in need of a good scrub. He’s had enough time to cool down, he’s spent far too long away from his friends. It feels like a part of him was left at the Spirit House - or rather left in her hands.

It’s time to go home.


	8. is this how you're healing?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 8: Fireside  
> Written By: crypticpanda, chinarai, and mahreemari
> 
> Noodle tries to have a "normal" Christmas, plans go awry.

The day had started out so perfect. Noodle had woken up peacefully, the bright, white light shining through her window tickling her face. Balancing 4 cups of coffee in her hands, she had walked through the house’s hallways just a few minutes later, knocking on each of the boys doors with the tip of her foot to wake them up. It was incredible, the effect the idea of caffeine alone could have on a sleep deprived face, and she loved watching her friends’ faces light up as they noticed who it was that disturbed them from their peace. Normally on a day like this they would enjoy the silence that enveloped them, all of them doing their own thing and existing in the moment as they waited for the sun to fully rise.

But today was different. Today Noodle had different plans. Thinking back they never had a normal Christmas. There was always _something_. If it wasn’t their Christmas Tree that was set on fire for some miraculous reason, it was either the turkey or the entire house for that matter. Usually Murdoc was drunk by noon and 2D would decide to hide in his room for the rest of the holiday. Russel would join her but would soon retreat as well, leaving her alone at the table, a half eaten dead bird and a burnt down tree as her only companions on Christmas Eve.

Not this time!

She planned out every single detail. The alcohol was hidden, location only known to her, no lighters or matchsticks in sight. She would keep Murdoc and 2D apart as best as she could and try to keep the tension between the two as minimal as possible. The fridge had been fully stocked by her, vehemently keeping the boys from stealing the pudding before the 25th. Everything would go smoothly. It had to. 

Giddily, she waited for her band members. She’d asked Russel to help her prepare the turkey the night before and they should probably put it in the oven soon. 

Looking around their house, she couldn’t help but pat herself on the back. She had quite outdone herself with the decoration. Blood, sweat and tears were shed, but in the end it was worth it. The tree in the middle of the room stood tall and majestic, red baubles covering it from the top to bottom, so shiny, she could see her own reflection in them. Colorful light strings decorated not only the tree but the rest of the house as well. It definitely did the old house some good. They didn’t have much opportunity to renovate or even clean it up, so the make over was a much needed necessity. Murdoc hadn’t been too excited about the prospect of a bunch of colorful lights right up in his face every time he wanted to use the stairs, or, go _anywhere in the house_ , really. But he caved. She had her ways.

About half an hour later, all of them were gathered in the kitchen, Russel about to put the turkey in the oven, 2D and Murdoc sitting on opposite sides of the table, avoiding each others’ eyes and Noodle happily humming along to the Christmas songs playing on the radio.

Everything would work out just fine.

  
  
  


It wouldn’t.

  
  
  


Four hours later they were sitting in the dark.

She had messed up. Maybe it was one Christmas light too many. Maybe it was five too many. Who knows. Either way. Their power went out. The turkey destroyed, the lights out, the rooms cold. At least their tree wasn’t on fire. Right? 

The moment she plugged in the power strip a few minutes ago, everything went to hell. They all could collectively hear Murdoc scream something along the lines of “I WAS WATCHING THAT” from his locked door, and they knew they fucked up. _She_ fucked up.

Next to her, 2D kneeled down in front of the power strip, the mess of cords in his hands.

Her own arms fell down to her side, hanging limply, as the bang and rattle of Murdoc’s door slamming open sounded throughout the house, feet stomping down the steps.

“WHO THE BLOODY HELL MESSED WITH THE POWER??”

At the same time, Noodle heard Russel complain from the kitchen, his voice coming more clear as he entered the living room.

“Come on, I was in the middle of cooking, all this stuff is going to go bad."

So here they were, screaming at each other, just like every year before. Honestly, what did she expect?

Murdoc had come bolting down the stairs, throwing a beer bottle (where did he get that?) in 2Ds direction. Glass shards flew in every direction, scattering across the ground and among the dead light bulbs to the singers feet. Beer stains formed where the bottle hit the wall.

“Why the fuck did you do that for?! You could've hit me!”

“I was aiming for you, FACEACHE!”

“WHY?”

“I WAS HAVING FUN WITH CANDY AND YOU MESSED IT UP!”

“WHO THE FUCK IS CANDY?”

“THE CHRISTMAS PORN STAR OF 2018, YOU UNCULTURED FUCK!

“YOU CAN WATCH THAT LATER”

“IT WAS FUCKING LIVE! PAY PER VIEW!!”

Murdoc rushed at 2D, claws outreached for the other mans face, fist ramming into his already black eye. Russel grabbed him by the scruff, trying to pull him away, only to be kicked in his knee. 2D snarled and grabbed onto the green man's ears, sending them all toppling down with a surprising amount of strength as they were rolling in a frenzy of arms and feet and curses.

Then the plinking came.

Noodle blinked away the oncoming tears as the sound got louder, watching on order as her eyes began to trail to the floor, the abandoned string of lights wrapped around 2D's foot and winding themselves around the fighting trio.

With dread, Noodle watched, her heart finally dropping down to her stomach.

The tree wobbled with a loud groan, tipping over, ornaments crashing down the hardwood.

“NO!!” 

All her hard work. Ruined. In literal pieces on the floor. Every stinking ornament she specifically picked out, going as far as to make them herself, wasting hours and hours of free time, laid broken like pieces of litter and trash.

“THAT’S IT!”, she yelled to break the silence that has spread.

“Noodle…”

“NO. Murdoc, Russel. Out! If we can’t have turkey, take out will do. GO WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! It’s your fault, so you better fix this!”

Murdoc was about to complain, but every word on his tongue died as Russel grabbed the old man's arm and pulled him alongside with him.

Noodle waited for the heavy clunk of the door before she turned to the only other person left in the house. 2D stood still, his eyes downcast and his hands nervously fidgeting in front of his chest.

The only sound resonating through the hallways was the heavy wind from outside and their agitated breathing.

Without saying a word, the woman turned and left the room. Next to their fireplace, she sank into the couch, the exhaustion and tension from the last few days finally taking over her body. With her eyes closed and mind elsewhere, she barely noticed the presence approaching her slumped form. The feeling of heavy fabric being placed on top of her was unexpected and pulled her out of the unresponsive state she had found herself in. 2D stood above her, smiling apologetically.

“Sorry for messing this up”, he whispered.

She pulled the blanket up to her chin, hiding from his view.

“‘s not your fault.”

Not saying anything, he looked at her for a bit before turning on his heels, towards the fireplace.

“Do you know how this thing works?”

“Just put a few logs in.”

He worked in silence and surprisingly managed to start a small flame after fiddling with his lighter for a few seconds. With a satisfied sigh he sank down next to her, his arms wrapping around his legs, staring into the fire.

“You know,” he said, “when I was little, my parents always hosted the family Christmas. My mum would call up all these people - uncles, aunts, cousins three times removed, anyone really. And my dad would help her clean up the whole house and at the end of the week, he would take us to the local forest where they were letting us cut trees. We always got some ugly lump because my mom thought ugly trees needed love too.”

Noodle let out a soft snort and 2D laughed lightly.

“I'm not lying. They were ugly and lopsided but we always strapped it up and took it home. My mum would pull out the ornaments and I always went to fetch the star from the box - the star was mine. If my grandparents came early, they would get the popcorn and I would help them string it, I ate it mostly though. And when it was all done, my mum would put me on my dad's shoulder and I would stick up the star.”

Noodle turned to look at him, his face glowing from the fire, listening in on his words.

“You know, those old movies? My family was like that during the holidays and as I grew older, it got boring. I was Christmassed out.”

“Until?”

“Until…” his head turned from where it rested in his knees to face her, his expression soft, “Until I met you guys.”

Noodle gapped, her mouth open in disbelief, “Us?? But we never have a good one. We always end up fighting or drunk or that one time Murdoc got detained at McDonald's or-,”

“You know, Noods, you never seem to think of the positive stuff that happened. We had a lot of fun times too.”

“Like what?”

2D hummed for a second, “Like when you were little and Russel would toss you in the air so you could top the ridiculous tree Murdoc stole, but then you kicked the window and shattered it. Or that time where we bought out three stores of their Angel Delight to have a pool of it. Then there was also that time where we got those sweaters from the company and it gave everyone a rash for a week”

“How was that fun?”

“Anyway,” he waved his hand lazily, “there was a lot of stuff, a lot of disasters, but it was exciting and I wouldn’t change it for anything in the world.”

He reached his hand over to her, patting the top of her head, stroking the hairs, even picking out a stray bit of gold tinsel that tangled in her locks.

“The guys feel the same way too you know, they enjoy it. Even if Murdoc’s never had a ‘normal’ Christmas like Russ and I.”

Noodle started chewing on her lower lip, deep in thought.

“And you know. I was worried about you. You went all out, didn’t sleep, didn’t take care of yourself the last few days. I know you wanted this to be perfect. But… Would it really be that perfect if you are too tired and stressed to even experience it?”

Still huddled underneath the blanket, Noodle shifted so she could face the blue haired man.

“I did enjoy the pudding pool”, she admitted silently.

2D barked out a laugh, clapping his hands together, the corners of his eyes matching his growing smile.

“I knew you did, it was my idea after all! Never did get that stain out of my trousers though, looked like I messed my pants.”

Noodle giggled, her voice mixing with his jolly tune as he pulled her up to stand. Leaving her for a second to plug in the radio, someone singing about chestnuts playing, he took her hands to lead her into a slow waltz, circling the room. He sang under his breath, urging her to join in, when he twirled her, dark eyes glittering, his hands bringing her close.

“You know Noodle,” his gazing flicking to her lips, leaning in, “I think I quite like this Christmas.”

In his arms, Noodle flushed, suddenly glad for the blackout and the small lighting from the fireplace.

“Yeah,” she squeaked, feeling his breath on her cheek, her eyes fluttering close, “Good Christmas…”

It was then that a loud sound made them both jump in surprise.

“We’re back!”

The sound of keys was accompanied by Murdoc’s voice grumbling to himself and Russel berating him for carrying all the snow inside and making an even bigger mess.

2D, released his hold on her, following her to the front door.

Noodle eyed the two men, Russel carrying plastic bags as Murdoc held a bottle carrier in one hand and a large white box in another. As 2D strode over to help Russel carry the bags to the kitchen, Murdoc shuffled over to Noodle, his face becoming sheepish in front of her.

“I brought dessert,” he handed her the white box, scratching the back of his head as soon as she took it, “I had to fight some old witch for it, but I thought you’d like it.”

She placed it on the nearby table and opened it carefully, a faint gasp as she saw a beautiful yule log sat in the center of the box, the chocolate resembling bark and the powdered sugar sprinkled on top like fresh snow, five little snowman sat in front.

“Is that?”

“It’s us,” Murdoc said, “ I asked the baker if they could, I told them it was important.”

“You even added Ace.”

“Yeah, he called while we were out, he wanted to make it but he couldn’t get a ticket in time.”

Noodle looked at the the tiny snowmen, the one with the messy blue on top of it’s head stood close beside the smallest snowman, or was it snowwoman? It’s frosted coal eyes winking at her.

She turned then and hugged the bassist, “Oh, Murdoc, I love it!”

He hugged her back, patting her back awkwardly, “I’m sorry for today, I mean it.”

“It’s okay.”

She smiled at the man. Maybe this day wouldn’t be so bad after all.

“Alright boys! Now how do we fix all this?”

Half an hour later Noodle found herself sitting by the fire with 2D, the hearth glowing with crackling embers, their knees touching as they sat crisscrossed. Noodle took a sip of her cocoa, closing her eyes with the warmth, she took in the sounds, the clanks in the kitchen as Russel messed about, the bottles of spiked eggnog clinking as Murdoc fussed with them, the soft sound of the fire, and 2D next to her, humming along to Frank Sinatra on the radio. Noodle shot 2D a quick peek, making contact, matching smile curving and his hand laced with hers sweetly.

A merry little Christmas, indeed.


	9. out there in the paradigm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 9: Grinchy Tricks  
> Written By: crypticpanda and mahreemari

“I can't take this anymore.”

Murdoc was sat in his armchair, beer bottle in hand and a grim expression on his face.

“Whatchu talkin about bud?”

With a growl he pointed Ace towards the thing in question.

2D and Noodle were sat huddled together on the other side of the room, 2D talking animatedly and waving his hands around, the guitarist listening with her eyebrows raised and a glint in her eyes.

“Stiillllll don't get it. You can't take them getting along or what?”

“NO! THIS! Do you know how bloody annoying it is having to watch this all day? I just want peace and quiet AND I CAN’T GET THAT IF THESE TWO KEEP CANOODLING EVERYWHERE I LOOK!”

Ace looked back and forth from Murdoc and his other two friends.

“Wait wait wait. They're…? Like? Seriously?”

“Well no they just longingly look into each other's eyes because they're such good friends! What the hell do you think? This has been going on for a while and it's sickening.”

“Sooo… what do you wanna do about it?”

Murdocs expression turned twisted, a menacing smile on his lips as he leaned forward, his head propped up on his clawed hands.

“I've got a few ideas.”

…

“I'm telling you now Murdoc, this is stupid.”

“Shut up. Buzzfeed says this works.”

Balancing on top of the ladder he fastened the mistletoe over the door frame, Ace watching him with a skeptical expression.

“You really think the hot glue gun and tape was necessary?" 

“Shut up, how else is this thing supposed to stay up there!”

…

2D watched in confusion as Murdoc and Ace ran back and forth, leaves in their hair and tape stuck to their arms.

“What do you think they're up to?”, Noodle asked, poking his side.

“Hell if I know”, he muttered.

…

It didn't take long for him to hang up the thing, it was a straightforward job after all, smacking the stupid leaf thing with some tape to keep it on the wall, a bunch of glue on top just in case.

That was the plan anyway… until Ace handed him some hot cider and now he was on his fifth glass, a tad bit more than tipsy, and why the bloody hell was he outside?

“Ace! Where are you? Did we hang the mistleshit?”

From beside him, buried in snow and dead leaves, Ace's arm rose like wood in the morning, tape wrapping up and down his arm like a shitty condom.

There was a rustle, Ace's head emerging with bleary eyes, his sunglasses pushed up funnily atop his head, “I'd like another mug please.”

Murdoc almost rolled his eyes but he did agree, another glass would be nice, ten more would be the best.

He looked up around him, too lazy to leave the pile of leaves, eyeing nature of all things… he would rather look at Veronica. Buying that magazine was worth it. Veronica was a babe.

Tree. Cloud. Tree. Tree. Car. Cloud. Bird. Tree. More tree. Ugly tree. There were a lot of trees, it was kind of boring. How did those people on the telly look at the trees and shit with rapt attention? This was boring as fuck. Liars.

“Ace! Murdoc! Come back inside!”

“Don't tell me what to do!” he shouted back, “I'm looking at trees!”

“It's getting cold, dumbass!”

Murdoc pursed his lip, Noodle was right, it was cold. He couldn't feel his toes or fingers. Or his handsome face.

Lazily, and a bit begrudgingly, he smacked his hand out, hitting his fellow, and currently dozing, bassist on the forehead.

“Ow… why'd you do that for?”

“Trying to save our nuts before they freeze for the winter, let's go inside and get smashed.”

“Sounds like a wonderful plan.”

He took his time to stand, huffing the way up, legs wobbly as if he had been doing his thing for ten hours straight. Ace was beside him, having followed suit, and together they trudged back to the house.

How warm.

Like a homing beacon, his body found itself walking towards the fire, edging him as close as possible without burning himself.

Good fire this was. The fire that was good. This fire. Good fire. Warm fire.

From across the room, Noodle stood by 2D who was handing Ace a new mug. After ensuring the chap could use his hands, 2D crossed the room and over to Murdoc, another mug in hand, the heat steaming in lazy tendrils.

“Made you guys some drinks to warm you up.”

The bassist took the drink, thankful, even though he would never admit it.

“You and Ace been whispering around all day. What were you two doing?”

What had he been doing?

Murdoc took a sip, appreciating its warmth. What _had_ he doing? He can't really remember.

He sneezed.

Oh yeah.

He looked up at the messily applied plant thing on the wall above Noodle's head.

He let out an “Ohhh” and threw his arms around his singers shoulders, ready to finish his mission.

“Wha’ are you doing Muds?”, 2D shrieked as Murdoc led him towards the woman who was looking at the two of them with a confused/amused expression.

“I'm doing this for my own sanity”, he announced and shoved 2D in Noodles direction, for good measure putting his foot in the path between the two, making the blue haired man stumble and practically fall on top of the smaller woman.

“MISTLETOE YOU FUCKERS!”

Like a domino, he fell over her, taking her down with him. He tried his best to cushion the fall, his hand covering the back of her hand in the split second he got before they crashed to the floor. He waited for impact, his eyes shut in grimace, only to hear a whistle, feet stomping, clapping, and something soft against his lips.

Murdoc and Ace were cheering.

“KISSY KISSY BITCHES!”

2D cracked his eyes open, Noodle's green eyes wide, her face pink. Quickly, he moved his head, feeling hot, blood boiling up his ears, he coughed once, embarrassed.

It was then that the two drunk men lost it, laughing hysterically, giving each other high fives, and completely forgetting the other two people on the room who were looking each other with wide eyes.

“Umm… Sorry ‘bout that”, 2D whispered, slowly recovering from the shock Murdoc gave him.

“No! No. I'm sorry. I should've know Murdoc would be messing around.”

“So... “

They kept staring at each other, blocking out the laughter in the background.

Before 2D could could even open his mouth, Noodle spoke up, rushing out the words.

“Wouldyouexcusemeforasecond?”

She turned and charged towards the two green men, leaving 2D a blushing mess.

The rest of the night, all one could hear were crashes and screams and Murdoc's pained cackles.

Months later, in the waiting room of some doctor's office, sporting a arm cast ready to be cut off, he would say it was worth it.


	10. waiting for a cavalcade to come again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 10: Snow Day  
> Written By: stu_dee
> 
> Hey, guys. It’s Stu_Dee again. Thanks for all the support you’ve been showing all of us. In this part, there will be no 2nu kids. Just some wholesome 2nu enjoying a snow day after the events of the 2017 Humanz tour. Ages of Noodle and 2D in this part: 2D: 39 Noodle: 27 (expecting Mil.)

Stu picked up the mug with both hands from its place on the counter. His left fingers intertwined around the handle. It was hotter than he had intended it to be, so he quickly made his way over   
to the couch where Noodle was sitting at.  
  
Stuart looked down at her. She was all bundled up in a blanket, Katsu had made himself comfortable on Noodle’s protruding bump. They had been watching a movie together, something not to their liking but something to pass the time. He took a seat next to her on the couch.   
  
“Here ya are,” he handed her the cup of tea, making sure it wasn’t too hot, “Be careful, it’s still a bit warm.” Noodle looked over at him before taking it from him. A small, but tired smile spread across her face as she took the mug from him. “Thanks, Stu.” Noodle brought the mug up to her face and took a long sip of the warm liquid. It hit her throat, and she closed her eyes for a second. Swallowing, she took a deep breath, and released it. “It’s very good.” she said, reaching for a coaster to put under the mug.   
  
Stuart gave her a toothy grin, taking some of her blanket from her. “Why don’t we go outside? It’s gorgeous out.” “My legs hurt.” Noodle had to admit, she wanted to, but was scared she would slip. Stu got up, after just adjusting himself.   
  
“Come on, I can pull you on the sled. It’ll be fun!” Noodle rolled her eyes at his enthusiasm. The last thing she wanted to do at seven months pregnant was go out in the cold weather. She was already cold enough as is in the house. Stu waited for her to respond, but went back to their room. He was determined to go outside and take advantage of the wintry weather while they still had it.   
  
After thinking for a few seconds, she accepted his request. She removed Katsu from his place, and put him on the other side of the couch. “Sorry, little man,” she put the blanket down next to him, “I’m gonna go outside. Stay comfy, ok?” Noodle went back to their room to get some warmer clothes on.  
  
\--  
  
“Stu, do you think think this is safe?” Noodle was sitting down, legs crossed on a purple plastic sled. Her cheeks were freezing. The wind continued to blow at her face, as she looked up at her husband. He was accident prone enough. Going down a small hill wouldn’t hurt them right? It wouldn’t hurt the baby, would it?  
  
“Absolutely positive, love,” Stuart called, adjusting the sled in place before quickly sitting down in the back of it. He wrapped his arms around Noodle, and they were off. The two squealed in excitement as the plastic sled made its way down the small hill.   
  
As the sled accelerated in speed, the two became more giggly by the second. Until it started to slow down at the end of the hill, and they had become more quiet. Dry laughs came from Stu, who had enjoyed the small bit of excitement. “What next?” he asked, as the sled came to a halt. He got up, and jumped into the snow. Noodle looked up at him. Her eyes darted to what she saw in front of her. Their neighbors had made a small snowman. “Let’s do that.” she pointed to the snowman. Stuart looked over his shoulder, “Build a snowman?” he asked, dragging Noodle as she sat on the sled. “Yeah,” Noodle smirked, “but bigger and better.”   
  
Stu raised his eyebrow, “I haven’t heard you sound so competitive in a while.” He went to the deeper part of snow in the yard, “But yeah, let’s make a much better snowman.”   
  
\--  
  
The two began to make their snowman, starting by making a small snowball. They then moved the small ball across the yard, and watched it become bigger with each step. Noodle was trying her best to make the middle, as she bent down. She was starting to get out of breath, but insisted she would be fine despite Stu telling her to take a breather. She became more, and more persistent that she was going to finish this part of their snowman. Their snowman was going to be better than the Dailys’ snowman.   
  
She could hear it in her head, ‘wow, that’s a wonderful snowman, Mr. and Mrs. Pot!’ or ‘What a beautiful, snowman! How long did it take you two to complete?’. Her imagination quickly faded away as she rolled it for the last time. Noodle had made her way over to the bottom of where the snowman was. ‘Finally,’ she thought to herself, trying to breath. She bent down and managed to pick up the middle of the snowman’s body. Stuart rushed over to her to try and help her place it on top of the bottom. “You’re going to hurt yourself, love!” he bent down to help her lift it up. “Stuart, I am fine.” she clenched her teeth, sounding a bit upset. Her husband shook his head  as they lifted the hefty piece of snow together, placing it on top of the base rather quickly.  
  
“There we go.” Stuart said, bending down yet again to get the head of the snowman. “Stu, I’m going inside after we put the hat on or whatever.” Noodle muttered. Adjusting the head on the snowman, Stu managed to look over at Noodle, who was holding some buttons in her hand. “You need a break?” he asked, concerned. He hoped Noodle hadn’t gone too overboard. “Yeah.” she said, waiting for him to back away from the snow being. She handed him some buttons, and he took them in his glove covered hands.   
  
Noodle pressed the first button into the snow, where an eye would be. She had to admit, she was having fun, but was so cold. She wanted to take a nap and snuggle with him on the couch. Grabbing another button from her hand, she pressed the eye into the other side of the snowman’s face. Stu was making a smile as best as he could onto its face, as Noodle grabbed a checkered scarf and wrapped it where the snowman’s neck would be.   
  
It was quiet. They didn’t speak for a few minutes. The background noise of birds chirping, and vehicles passing down their street were heard. Maybe a few people talking every other second. “He looks amazing, Noodle.” Stu commented, stepping back to get a better look at the snowman. Noodle was putting a carrot in the center of its face. She made sure it was perfect, than went over to where Stu was standing.   
  
She wrapped her arms around his torso, and he wrapped an arm around her. “It looks perfect.” she remarked, taking in the moment with him. “Maybe we can do this next year with the new baby.” “Yeah, maybe so.” Stu remembered that it wouldn’t be just them next year. There would be a new addition. “Just imagine, us teaching him or her how to make little snow angels. How cute does that sound?”  
  
Noodle smiled, the thought of the new baby being with them this time next year made her feel warm and fuzzy. “He or she will probably make a dorky looking one like you, huh?” a light giggle came from her.   
  
The two turned back to go inside. Noodle looked back one more time before walking in the arms of her husband. They made their way up the small hill, as Stuart helped her take small steps. Each step was a bit of a hassle. Somehow, they finally managed to get to their back porch.   
  
Stu opened the door, before noticing Katsu was sitting in front of it. “Please, don’t let him get out.” she said, blocking the door so the cat couldn’t get out. “I won’t”. He cracked the door a little bit. Noodle put her foot inside, and the cat moved. She opened the door a bit more, and decided it was safe. She had gotten inside without the cat getting out. Stuart went inside and close the door behind him.   
  
“You want a bath, Noodle?” he asked, trying to get his boots off. Noodle looked over in his direction. She was sipping on the cold remaining bit of tea that was in her mug. She sighed, thinking about it. “That sounds wonderful.” “I’ll go start on it right now.” he replied, making his way to the washroom.   
  
\--  
  
After taking a heavenly bubble bath, Noodle was sitting on her bed with Katsu on Stu’s side of the bed. She was eating a bit of split pea soup and a cheese toastie. Courtesy of Stu. She thanked the heavens he hadn’t burnt down the house while she was taking her bath.  
  
Stu was sitting over in the reclining chair on the opposite side of their room. He was flipping through the channels trying to find something they could watch. He knew Noodle wasn’t one for horror movies, so he was looking for something which they could watch together. Maybe a comedy movie.  
  
“How about Bruce Almighty?” he asked, throwing a leg over the armrest of the chair. Noodle swallowed the bit of her cheese toasty she had been chewing on. “Sounds good to me.” she took another bite out of her cheese toastie, a loud crunch coming from it. Stu nibbled on some popcorn from the other night. The movie was playing, and he rocked back and forth in his chair.  
  
“Hey love,” he called over to Noodle, gaining her attention. Her head popped up as she heard her nickname being called, he looked at her face. “I had fun today.” he gave her a small smile, as he looked into his wife’s dark eyes. “I did too, Stuart Pot.” she giggled, sounding like a child. She liked saying his full name when she was feeling playful. She overheard Stu throw in a laugh.   
  
The two watched movie after movie before dozing on and off. Stu had finally made his way over to their bed, and crawled under the sheets to be with her. Noodle had fallen asleep, Katsu on top of her stomach. He scooted closer to her, and wrapped his arm around her free one. He rested his head on his pillow. A perfect view of her face.   
  
He could hear her breathing, and looked at her tiredly. He placed his other hand on the side of Noodle’s stomach. “Hey there, little one.” in the dark, in a room where nobody was awake. “Seems your mama is worn out.” he knew he wasn’t going to get a response, but it was worth the try. He rubbed his thumb across the side of her stomach. He couldn’t wait to enjoy a snow day with the new addition, and with Noodle. It was all worth everything they had ever been through. Now all he had to do was go to sleep, and wait to see what tomorrow would bring. 


	11. tick-tick-ticker tape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 11: Office Party  
> Written By: chinarai and mahreemari
> 
> Stuart Pot the Caprese Skewer Man

Office parties aren’t really his thing. He would rather meet up with some coworkers at a bar, have a few beers and share plates of snacks, joke and laugh and get engrossed on the football game on the telly. Wine and eggnog and hot cider aren’t really his cup of tea, so Stu swallows down a mouthful of his drink of choice as quickly as he can, hoping his tongue will barely register the taste, and settles by the long table offering different samples of cheese and cold cut meats and _hor d’oeuvres_.

They keep him entertained enough, getting bites of gorgonzola and expensive crackers in between shared laughter with his two close friends from his department. Murdoc and Ace are cousins - a kinship along the lines of a second cousin once removed or something of the like, which really explains why they’re so different. They didn’t grow up together, but found one another by chance and now it’s like they’re joined by the hip.

Ace is a lot less hot-headed than Murdoc and also more excitable, but both share the same interest in free alcohol and free food, sampling every drink offered and stuffing their faces with dried figs and salami and other fancy bits he knows they can’t pronounce. Stu snacks on grapes, popping them into his mouth, and enjoys the juiciness of them. He’s still missing his front teeth from that time two years ago when Murdoc ran him over on the parking lot of the building. That’s how they became friends.

Time passes at a decent pace with them crowded together by the head of the table, laughing into their glasses or trying not to choke around bites of bruschetta as they recall drunk adventures from the past year. It’s all fine and good until Stu reaches for the last mini spinach quiche on the plate.

And his world shatters.

Murdoc’s car may have thrown Stu against a wall, knocked some teeth from his mouth and damaged his eyes to the point where blood filled them and never left, but Stu still knows how to recognize a pretty lady when he sees one. And it’s all very cliché how he settles his gaze on her for the first time after they reach for the same mini quiche, fingers touching like it’s all a scripted scene from a movie, but she’s beautiful and he gapes at her silently, blinking his wide eyes as she retracts her hands and smiles apologetically.

The words in his mouth die from how pretty she was.

“I’m sorry, you can have it.” She steps back, turning her attention to the table. “I’ll get something else.”

With that, she reaches for one of the ridiculously healthy caprese skewers they were making fun of a few minutes ago and leaves them. He’s still watching her, yet to pick his jaw up from the floor, entranced by the sway of the skirt of her deep emerald dress with every step she takes.

Murdoc slaps his back and Ace closes his gaping mouth with a finger under his chin, both green men snickering at him like gossiping schoolgirls. “Seems like old Stu just met Noodle.”

“Who?” He croaks. Someone comes and snatches away the forgotten mini quiche. Stu doesn’t even care.

“Noodle,” Ace repeats, slinging an arm around his shoulders and poking his chest with his index finger, “from the HR department. Haven’t you heard of her before?”

Stu shakes his head, but barely registers the movement, still watching her talking and mingling with other people, drinking her in like a sight for his especially sore eyes. “Her and Hobbs take turns on being the employee of the month in that department.” Murdoc grumbles, staring into his drink, still bitter for never having his picture on the frame ever since he was hired.

Stu’s heard of Russel Hobbs before, spoke to him once even. Good man, likes all things cooking, has good taste in ties and shoelaces. They shared a brief conversation in the copy room where Russel found him struggling with the new printer machine the company had gotten, and helped poor Stu order his papers once the deed was done.

But Noodle - Stu has never heard of Noodle before. “Is she new?”

“Not really, no.” Ace makes to gulp his drink, sees all of it is gone and lowers his cup with a sigh, the ice hitting the glass with his movement. “Been working there for as long as us, I think. She’s kinda notorious.”

“Notorious…?”

“Some blokes from Marketing tried to hit on her at a bar and she broke their noses.” Murdoc clarifies, inspecting his sharp nails. “Boss can’t do anything about that because it wasn’t at work, but they’re still crying for getting their asses handed to them by her.”

“I, for one, am a fan of hers.” Ace piped up, finally dislodging his arm from Stu’s shoulders. “She’s pretty nice if you know what to say, which is anything that doesn’t imply you wanna ask her out.”

Stu blinks for the first time in a long time, Hobbs stepping into his line of sight and hiding her behind his larger frame. He licks his lips and finds his voice - “I’m gonna ask her out.”

Murdoc snorts around a mouthful of smoked salmon and cucumber, and Ace chokes on his own spit. “Did you _hear_ anything I just said?”

Stu had, in fact, not listened to anything. He walks away from them with purpose, unaware that Ace threw his arms up and said “fine! we’re gonna watch you getting your ass kicked!” and hunted down the first waiter he spotted walking around with a tray in hand. The man in question gives him an unimpressed look, chalking him up as another silly drunk that stepped too close for personal comfort.

“Do you have any of those mini quiches left?”

The waiter lifts a brow slowly and drawls. “No.” Stu squints at him. “All of them have already been served.”

Well, then, he’ll have to improvise. Stu isn’t a quitter. He takes notice of the plate of caprese skewers on the tray and grabs a handful, slinking away with a nod and looking around for shiny black hair and shimmery emerald fabric.

It’s really not hard to find her when she’s always around Hobbs - he’s easy to spot. The difficult thing is finding her _alone_ , so Stu lurks around trying to blend in, unaware that he’s sticking out like a sore thumb, until Hobbs touches her on the shoulder and whispers something and suddenly they’re staring at _him._ His brain freezes up. Shit. Ace said something about broken noses, didn’t he?

Swallowing audibly, he strides forward, losing most of his courage along the way, but they’ve seen him now and he can’t back down like a coward. He clears his throat and presents her the skewers with a flourish, like they’re actually an expensive arrangement of flowers and not just cherry tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and basil leaves on a decorative toothpick. Thankfully, they don’t laugh, not in his face - Hobbs does step away though, shoulders shaking slightly, and Noodle’s lips quiver even if they’re pressed tightly together. She covers it up with a cough.

“You’re the quiche guy.” She says, voice pitched slightly higher. “Was it good?”

How would he know? He didn’t get to eat it and lies through the gaps of his teeth. “Very. I tried to find more for you, but they ran out.”

Noodle tries to hold back her laugh again, but it slips free this time, it’s airy and light and he really likes the sound of it. “So you brought me skewers?”

“Yeah I-” He pauses, looking down at the _hor d’oeuvres_ in his hand. “Brought you… Caprese skewers.” Stu clears his throat, flushing. “In hindsight, this wasn’t a good idea.”

She presses a hand to her mouth, her crinkled eyes betraying the grin beneath her palm. “No, it was… Very sweet of you.”

“I’ll just - go.” He turns around on his heels, intent on finding an empty corner to shove all these skewers in his mouth and sulk for the remainder of the night whilst Murdoc and Ace stand over his crouched form laughing with their fingers pointed at his face as he dies by choking on a tomato. Yep. Sounds like a plan.

“Hey.” She calls out, and he stops, daring to glance at her from over his shoulder. “Stu, right?”

Silently, he nods. Now he’ll be known as Stuart Pot, the Caprese Skewer Man in the HR department. How mortifying.

“I know this place that sells awesome quiches nearby.” Noodle twirls her tall glass of wine in her hand as she speaks. “Would you like to go there tomorrow? For lunch?”

Stu is struck speechless for a moment. _Oh._ Fully turning towards her, he nods, the words coming out of his mouth in a near rush. “It’s a date.”

“Yeah, she says, smiling wide, her eyes glittering like fresh snow. “It is.”


	12. black light glints with color

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 12: Feast  
> Written By: crypticpanda and mahreemari

Russel enjoyed the holidays, from the moment he witnessed his first Christmas, when he was little and dressed up to the nines, finding joy in the good food and friendship and just general happiness that comes with those kind of days. The roasted turkey his mom made with a constant smile on her face, the stuffing his aunt prepared with delicate hands, the pecan pie Gran would bake fresh and the way she would kick everyone out of the kitchen for the sole purpose to keep her recipe a secret until the day she would deem one of them worthy. Eggnog and apple cider and hot chocolate in jolly looking mugs with reindeer and snowmen painted on the ceramic, warming his own and his cousins’ hands and insides after hours of playing in the snow with the neighborhood kids.

He watched 2D and Noodle from his designated place in front of the stove, seeing as they joked and laughed sitting at the kitchen table, probably wasting a lot of their figgy pudding by taste testing and throwing spoons all over the place.

He didn't mind. It was such a rare sight, all them them having a good time, even Murdoc and Ace being content for once, sitting in front of the TV, silently sipping on their drinks. The laughing was such a beautiful sound, it filled his heart with warmth, even more so than the hot cup of tea he had a few minutes ago. If it were up to him, it could stay like this forever. Laughter filling the house, good food, just them existing in their own bubble. He knew he wouldn't be content like this forever, but right now, for the time being, it was perfect.

A few minutes later he sat at the head of the table, Noodle having kept the seat free for him, keeping Murdoc away from it with a threatening glance. Now he was piling his plate with the surrounding dishes of food, both made and bought. He gets a large cut of the turkey and chunks of potato from the place they ordered on Deliveroo and a store-bought roll he buttered generously; on the side there was stuffing and sweet potatoes with toasted marshmallows and brown sugar syrup Ace had baked and brought over along with a bucket of Cool Whip from his hotel room. There were plated dishes of brussels sprouts and parsnips and cranberry sauce warmed from the can and a tiered platter of sweets, including the mince pies Murdoc bought alongside the ale and mulled wine. At the top of the platter sat the little figgy puddings Russ had seen 2D and Noodle make together, a hint of a smile on his face as he recalls their laughter, Noodle’s loud and free and Stu’s relaxed and content.

Truly a feast, he remarked mentally.

“Russ?”

He turned his head and saw Murdoc, a fork in one hand and two Christmas crackers in the other, his green face ruddy with an alcoholic influence.

“Come on big man, let’s become kings, eh?” he sets his fork down and grabs the other end of Ace’s cracker with chortle, “Let’s have a threesome while we’re at it, we’re healthy bachelors, no need to have the turtledoves pop our cherries.”

Noodle was quick to have her phone out, recording the whole thing, as she snickered. They all were chuckling at this point, the alcohol and festive vibe winging them up. Quickly they all grabbed the ends of their crackers, Russel finding himself in a ‘threesome’ with Ace and Murdoc and 2D and Noodle paired up together.

They looked towards the camera of Noodle’s phone, greeting the livestream, all of them counting in sync.

“Three…”

Russ glanced at the two bassists, both standing wobbly but cheery.

“Two…”

He looked to 2D, the looseness in his limbs carefree and untroubled for the first time in a long time.

“One…”

Finally, he stared at Noodle, the radiance of her beam toward their frontman without any sort of hesitance encompassed him with a kind sort of tenderness.

“Happy Christmas!!”

_POP! POP! POP!_

She really, really liked him and by the way he saw 2D bend down to place the paper crown atop of Noodle’s head, the affectionate expression on his face like its was the most natural thing, Russel could tell this was mutual.

How nice.


	13. sudden long and horizontal outlines the star

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 13: Ugly Sweaters  
> Written By: Hellyea2nuandmore
> 
> Hello, it’s me again! I’m writing about ugly jumpers/sweaters this time. The ending’s a lil rushed because of college stuff but I hope you enjoy it anyway.

It had all started one Christmas a few years ago.

A quiet celebration after they had reunited for the first time since plastic beach, all of them too tired to organise a larger more elaborate event. Gifts were pretty simple that year, using their memory to try and find things the others may like. The results were rather hit or miss.

Noodle’s gift to 2D had been a rather gaudy Christmas jumper.

He was unsure how to react at first. It was a lot brighter than the clothes he typically wore and admittedly he wasn’t the biggest fan of the design. It did make him smile though. Looking up at her, Noodle had a mischievous glint in her eyes. It gave him the confirmation he needed that she knew and had bought it with the purpose of cheering him up.

2D retaliated next year with getting her an arguably even worse jumper.

Thus a tradition was born. Each year they would try to buy each other the worst Christmas jumper they could find in a kind of friendly competition. Whoever had gotten the other the worst jumper would win bragging rights. This year, however, Noodle wanted to add something new to the prize.

“Whoever wins gets to choose where we go for our next date,” Noodle announced when they were in private.

2D glanced up from what he was doing at the announcement. “Is that so?” he questioned, raising an eyebrow in curious amusement.

“It is so,” Noodle confirmed as she stretched her body out on the bed. “Makes our little sweater competition a bit more interesting this year.”

2D contemplated her suggestion moving from sitting at the desk to the end of the bed. “It does indeed.”

Noodle wriggled over to one side, patting the space next to her invitingly. “What do you say?” She smirked at the singer, watching him lie down next to her. “Want to do it or just stick with bragging rights?”

2D grinned at her confidently and rolled over in the bed until he was leaning over her, watching her intently. “I’m in,” he purred quietly as he leaned down, their faces just brushing each other. He could hear Noodle’s breath hitch at the action. “Hope you’re ready to lose,” he teased her.

Noodle looked up at him in disbelief, a teasing smirk on her face as she quickly flipped their position so she was leaning over him. “Hope _you’re_ ready to lose,” she quipped playfully.

“We’ll see,” 2D chuckled as he relaxed underneath her. “We’ll see.”

\---

Christmas was soon approaching and the hunt for ugly Christmas jumpers had begun.

2D opted to search online rather than go out to the shopping centre to find his, hoping to find a larger variety to choose from. Amazon was proving to be a gold mine of all kinds of ugly Christmas jumpers. From the bright and gaudy ones to a laser breathing dinosaur setting a Christmas tree on fire. Admittedly he was tempted by the dinosaur one knowing it would make her laugh but ultimately decided against it.

He scrolled past most of them, glancing at a bright red one with a giant deer face and another with a dressed up raptor and a bad pun. There was a large selection and many of them looked good but nothing seemed to scream ‘Noodle’ to him.

2D sighed deeply in frustration as he continued searching, wondering if it was worth rushing to the shops to find something. It was decently late in the day and most shops will be closing soon, it probably wouldn’t be worth the time and effort.

He was interrupted in his thoughts by Katsu leaping up onto the table and lying down next to the keyboard. The Bengal cat stared up at him levelly before rolling onto their side for a belly rub. 2D chuckled, shaking his head as he did as the cat wanted. He listened to the cat’s purrs as he continued looking at various jumpers when he found it.

The perfect ugly Christmas jumper for Noodle.

2D glanced down at Katsu with a small grin on his face, feeling rather confident that he would win this year as he added the jumper to the cart. Katsu mewed loudly in annoyance as he stopped petting them, standing up and walking over towards the singer.

Looking down at the cat in amusement, 2D pushed the chair back slightly, allowing Katsu to jump onto his lap and immediately curl up in a ball.

Once the order was complete, he sighed in relief and leaned back in his chair stroking Katsu’s back idly.

\---

Christmas hadn’t been an extravagant affair that year, just a relatively small thing between the 4 of them.

Dinner had been eaten before retiring to the living room to open presents each of them wearing the cheap paper crowns from their crackers. Presents were piled on top of each other beneath the tree, clearly having been placed underneath with little care. Some were balancing precariously on top of others and every now and again a parcel would fall over. The duty of giving out the presents was given to 2D as per usual, the pile slowly diminishing in size.

When the collection of presents had finally disappeared completely, 2D collapsed onto a sofa to sit next to Noodle with a sigh of relief, finally able to sit and begin unwrapping whatever his friends had gotten him. Just as he sat down, Noodle repositioned herself so that her feet rested across his lap preventing him from getting up.

Her eyes lit up as he picked up one package in particular. Unlike the others, whatever was inside didn’t seem to be in a box. It was soft and rather squishy and he could move it in his hands.

2D’s mouth opened slightly in realisation that this strange soft present had to be the jumper. He looked over at her and grinned seeing how her eyes were shining in excitement.

“Haven’t found yours yet?” he pointed out, glancing pointedly at her empty hands.

“I have,” Noodle protested slightly. “I just want to see you open yours first.”

2D met her gaze for a moment, hand hovering over the wrapped jumper, before looking away with an amused shake of his head. In his excitement and impatience, he tore the paper off. Shreds of paper flew into the air and fell onto the floor making Noodle and Russel laugh but was met with complaints from Murdoc.

“You’re cleaning that mess up, Faceache,” the bassist muttered under his breath, only barely audible.

2D ignored him as he stared at the jumper, a huge grin on his face as he lifted it up for a better look. A zombie santa stared back at him, leaning over a tombstone surrounded by floating candy canes. As he pulled the jumper down over his head, the singer couldn’t help but start laughing loudly in pure glee.

“Well? What do you think?” Noodle asked eagerly, leaning forward with a smile on her face that almost shone in anticipation of his answer.

“I love it Noods,” 2D assured her, unable to wipe the smile off of his face. “I think this is the best Christmas jumper you’ve gotten me yet!”

“Good,” Noodle chirped happily as she picked up a rather clumsily wrapped present from the floor. She eyed it curiously, turning it over in her hands before slowly beginning to unwrap it.

2D jumped slightly as the guitarist squealed loudly in pure joy, hugging the jumper to her chest. “I guess you like it?” he teased.

“I LOVE IT,” Noodle yelled enthusiastically, practically leaping across the sofa to hug him and press kisses all over his face. “Thank youuu!”

She pulled away from him in order to put the jumper on quickly, staring down at the cat on the front of it with a large smile. The ginger cat sat on the middle of the jumper, wearing large glasses and a bow tie, stared back at them with a cartoonish smile on its face.

Noodle looked up to meet 2D’s eyes and he could tell from the way she looked at him that he had won their little contest this year.

As she shuffled across the sofa to lean against his shoulder, 2D was already thinking of where he would take her on their date.


	14. a sudden draft and quick chill

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 14: New Star  
> Written By: stu_dee
> 
> Only twelve days before Christmas is here? Can you guys believe it? This year has certainly flown by quickly. I’m drowning in schoolwork, so I’ll try to make this as good as I possibly can. Ages of everybody: 2D: 47 Noodle: 35 Millie: 7 Rob: 5 Girls: 10 days (Julia out of nicu.)

It had happened so quickly. Why did it have to happen? ‘Why?’ was the question that the dismayed Japanese woman asked in her mind repeatedly. She was holding the shattered pieces in her hand. Warm tears threatened to hit her cheeks as she sat down on the shaggy carpet. Her favorite thing which she had always put on top of the tree.

Broken.

The glass was scattered across the carpet. The light bulb which would usually be inside, still gave off it’s beautiful, luminous glow.

Everything which had been happening lately had been so good. Why now did something have to ruin her impetuosity?

“Get the vacuum, Robert,” she said, in between clenched teeth. She wanted nothing to do with him right now, “Now.”

Robert’s dark brown eyes were widened by the tone in his mother’s voice. He rarely heard her sound so serious and sinister. He made sure to follow her orders, and went off to try and find the vacuum.

Stu was sitting on the couch, giving Julia what remained of her seven o’ clock bottle. He felt inconsolable for his love. He bit his lip, things of what to say running through his mind.

\--

Earlier that day, everything had been so lighthearted. Everybody was their happy selves. The family had gone out to finish some Christmas shopping, and see the remaining two of the girls who were in the hospital still.Then, they had gotten home and were adding the finishing touches to their Christmas tree.

That’s when it happened.

Robbie had thought he could put an ornament on the tree all by himself. He had wanted to prove he was a big boy. However, Noodle along with Stu were paying attention to something else.

That’s when the laughter was broken by a shatter, and then a scream.

\---

Now, here they were, sitting in silence. The only thing which was heard was Julia sucking the remnants of her bottle.

Stuart fought the thoughts of what to say. He always had something, and now he had nothing Since when did his mind go empty? What was he supposed to say? He looked down at the delicate baby in his arms as he opened his mouth to speak. “Love,” what was he going to say? He saw her turn her head in his direction. Tears were running down her cheeks. It broke his heart. His mouth was open, he was frozen at the sight. He managed to get something out, “We can buy another one.” he gave a small smile, eyes eyebrows gently pressing the wrinkles of his forehead as he raised them.

Noodle got up from her spot on the carpet, and went to go sit on the couch with her husband. “That was my favorite decoration I owned.” She didn’t want to seem like a bug baby, but it was rather special to her.

Robbie had come back with the vacuum, and placed it in front of Noodle. He looked at his mom with a guilty face. He didn’t dare say anything to her. He instead, ran off to be with his older sister and take shelter from getting in further trouble than he already was in.

Stu was speechless. He burped Julie as he saw her vacuum the glass of the glass star.

He wanted to do something to make up for it.

Maybe buying her a new one would cheer her up?

Possibly.

Then, he thought of something even better.

\-----

“Dad, what’s all this?” An exhausted Mildred sat at the dinner table, her head resting on her hand. There were arts and crafts supplies in front of her. Across from her sat her brother, barely staying awake.

Stuart took a seat at the table, in between them. “This is what you guys are going to do tonight.” He pulled an image up on his laptop. “Since Robbie went and broke your mom’s star, we are going to make a new one.” he pointed at the picture on the screen.

“Using craft supplies?” Robert piped in, his eyes showing disbelief. “But how?!” he just wanted to go to bed. It was past ten in the evening, and Noodle had gone to bed when she had the chance, knowing she would have to wake up with Julia in a few hours.

“Yea, dad! Is that even possible?” Millie couldn’t even imagine where to begin. She was quite unsure of the possibility of how pipe cleaners, construction paper and other supplies could turn into something good.

Their dad gave a bit of a chuckle. “Well let’s find out.” He started taking pipe cleaners, and hot gluing them into a square shape. The two kids were instructed to cut on star shapes on pieces of construction papers. 

After having a rectangle made from pipe cleaners, Stuart glued one across the rectangular shape, then straight up, then two pointing vertically. It already looked like the star he had, or so he thought. Even better than what Noodle previously had.

\--

An hour later they were done with their project.

Stu had put away the star, and successfully tucked in the two sleepy kids. He crawled into bed with a passed out Noodle, who was lightly snoring with her back turned to him. He imagined what Noodle’s expression would be like when opening the new star in his head as he dozed off.

\--

The next morning at breakfast, Stu had snuck the wrapped star on top of the table where she usually sat. While she was stuck cooking, Stu, and the kids laughed. Noodle looked over her shoulder the more they giggled. She knew they were hiding something.

As she came over to place plates of hot food onto the table, her eyes saw the package. She looked over at Stu as he gave a light shrug. Noodle took her spot at the table, and picked up the wrapped item. As she unwrapped it, her heart melted.

“You made this for me?” she asked, looking at the faces in front of her. The two kids nodded eagerly, as Stu twiddled his thumbs. “We stayed up making it just for you!” Robbie practically shouted.He was so happy that she liked it. Noodle didn’t know what to say.

She got up from the table, taking the star and made her way to the tree. Stu followed her. Noodle stood on her tiptoes, and place it exactly where she wanted it. After putting it up, she stepped back to get a better look.

“I love it.” she gave Stu a hug, and he wrapped his arms around her waist, giving her a squeeze. He bent down to give her a kiss on her forehead, “Well, Merry Early Christmas, Noodle.”

Although an expensive star wasn’t on top of their tree, it was complete. It was perfect for what it was, and it was the thought which count. The new star, no matter how tacky it looked, was perfect to Noodle.


	15. and that is all

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 15: Snow Angel  
> Written By: crypticpanda

For a long time he had simply existed. Nothing more, nothing less. He didn’t remember a time in which he hadn’t. It had always been just him and the cold. He had never thought about his actions, he just did what he was supposed to do, his purpose, his sole reason for existing. There had been no need for anything else. Why would there? After all he had no emotions, no attachments, no worries. He hadn’t even known that was something to be had.

So the moment he first saw her, for the first time in his life, he wondered if this was what the other angels called “warmth”.

He had been dragging his hands along a moss covered fence, walking along the sidewalk of a brittle road, riddled with potholes and cracks, yellow grass breaking through the asphalt. A life he would soon take, so new one can take its place once Spring wanders the Earth in his stead.

It had been then that he saw her. A lone figure at the end of the pathway, staring up into the sky, snowflakes falling onto her face, slowly blinking as the crystals melt on top of her eyelashes. Her pale skin almost reflected the light of the rising moon.

He had been standing there for several seconds, just watching as his soul came to life. It was like he was on Earth for the very first time. Even if he didn’t remember, he couldn’t imagine it feeling any other way. He was on fire and yet he was frozen in place. Wind throwing him in every direction but the ground has bound his feet.

Suddenly he was _alive_.

_Alive_ was different than alive. Alive was doing his job, wandering, spreading the snow on top of rooftops, freezing the car windshields with his breath, every year, over and over again, not questioning, not deviating, not _feeling_.

_Alive_ was being near her. Letting her soul engulf his very being, the flames around her licking at the ice accompanying him wherever he went.

She had looked up and turned to face him. She had a beautiful laugh.

‘Aren’t you cold?’, she had asked.

Then she had taken off her scarf and wrapped it around him.

He still wore it every time he came down to Earth. It was a reminder of her. Her smell, no matter how much time passed, would be preserved forever. The vibrant red a cheap copy of the red of her soul, but yet it was the only color that had ever come close to it.

…

They had 86 beautiful Winters.

…

Sometimes he would catch glances of red in the snow covered streets, and he would start running towards it. He knew it wasn’t her. She was one in an infinity. One in the vast universe, which humanity had still left to explore. There would be no one else like her.

So he slept.

The ice started to cover him, thick layers of cold, trying to turn him back. Back into who he had been before her. Unreachable, untouchable, his soul contained in a coffin of freezing glass, never to be touched by another human again.

She would be the only one.

Forever.

And that is all. 


	16. the world's face hidden under falling wind

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 16: Party Dress  
> Written By: chinarai and mahreemari

It starts at a party.

They had all dressed nicely, Murdoc cleaned up in a violet velvet suit, his hair styled into his recently favored pompadour and Russel in a vintage tweed three-piece with a pairing top hat. She’s in some pretty number, a long mermaid skirt covered by flowy tulle littered with golden lace and tiny crystals, matching the intricately delicate diamond-encrusted dangle earrings in her ears and the glittering heels that towered at her feet. At her side was 2D, the slim black overcoat covering his specially tailored grey cashmere suit, his butterscotch scarf peeking out from under his lapels in a happy pop of color and expense. 

Ace greets them in an ostentatious novelty suit and tree-shaped shades, multi-colored LED lights hanging off him like a boa, the red fabric of his suit bright as the baubles that lavishly decorated the garlands and the ginormous imposing Christmas tree that stood at the center of the hotel foyer, the word ‘naughty’ smattered all over his clothes in green front and a large ‘nice’ spelled across his bum in white. 

He takes them all through the incoming guests and into the ballroom which was even more luxurious and elaborate than the entrance. A choir dressed as angels singing carols and a live orchestra sat tucked in a corner, waiters walked around with trays of stacked champagne and waitresses with hors d'oeuvres, there were tables and chairs and various people of all sorts of high life. Above them all, hung an enormous crystalline chandelier that imitated the snow falling outside.

-

The band had long been separated from each other, finding people in the hoard to chat with in separate parts of the room.

Noodle sits alone at the table, a thin flute of bubbly champagne keeping her company as she snacked on cream puff pastry sweets and savory bacon-wrapped somethings. As she takes a long sip, a hand comes down onto her shoulder and had she had not known the comfortable weight, she would have screamed.

Noodle turns to face 2D, his face in a light flush from the heat of the room, his coat opened to show off the silk shirt she had pick out for him that morning. She gives him a questioning brow when she sees him mouthing blank words, the singing of Santa Claus watching people sleep at night and the crowd talking, making it hard to hear him when he speaks. Then he’s sighing, a thumb gesturing towards a window, his other arm off his side and sends her a pleading glace.

She is quick to stand as she slips her hand around his offered arm, resting her palm against the crook of his elbow and his lower bicep, she feels the stiff black wool of his coat and the miniscule amount of warmth it emitted. She lets him lead her in a casual pace, thankful as she thinks of the height of her stilettos, walking them both out the side door and into the grandiosely decorated garden she had spotted hours ago upon entry.

They make it to the heart of the garden, a stone water fountain turned off for the season is covered with both real and faux snow, and a gathering of lit strung up trees hides them from the hotel view. 

Then she feels a draft.

She looks down, noticing the tie of her cloak undone, the white fur slipping apart to reveal her bodice. As she moved her hands up, she was stopped by 2D who had already moved his gloved fingers between the two strings, his head bowed towards her, she could see the careful way he had combed and coiffed his azure hair before going to observe the concentrated expression on his face. She watched patiently, in a near ogle, tracing the slight wrinkle knit between his thick brows and the blue lashes that pointed down as he fussed with her cloak. Noodle felt his warm breath, small clouds of air puffing from his lips, a hairsbreadth away from her own, all it would take would be a tilt of her head and she could reach him. 

It was tempting. 

Just as the thought came, 2D stepped back, having deftly created a simple knot, the large pompom ends of her cloak’s tie up falling with a light bounce when he finished.

It was enticing.

She peered at him, the doting curve of his lips attractive as she clasped his shoulders, burrowing towards his chest she leaned into him, raising slight with the aid of her heels, she kissed the skin of his chin dangerously close to the corner of his bottom lip before releasing him. Stepping out of his embrace, she leaned back against the closest tree in an invitation, her giggle a dulcet melody as he followed, cornering her against the bark. Her arms slipped around his neck, fingers twirling the ends of his hair, she pressed up against him, her curves molding into his palms as he touched her hips.

It was captivating.

Noodle flashed him a flirtatious simper, a quiet moan escaping when he captured her lips with his own, his tongue swiping into her mouth, ready to devour. 

It was him.

It was her.

It was them.


	17. waiting for the world to start again

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 17: Lone Mitten  
> Written By: mahreemari

He sticks the hand he grabs and stuffs it into his pocket, trying not to mind the way her fingertips tickle the back of his palm and hopes she doesn’t mind the nervous sweats.

She’s laughing at him, at his actions, the way his pale skin turns bright red when she’s near and his eyes can’t seem to meet hers when she looks at him yet always follow her when she looks away and how his voice gets high and tangled in his mouth and how is limps don’t work right and he’s fumbling with his hands and tripping and weak in the knees. She laughs when she sees him, the way he clutches his chest when his heart beats too loud and his lungs collapse, and he can’t breathe and when his ears buzz and he can’t hear anything but her. She laughs at his timidity, the pooling of his sweat that bead around his forehead and gather in his palms, the visible way he can’t hide his shyness towards her.

“Oh Stu,” she laughs, now gripping his fingers inside of the pocket, her other hand gloved with the single mitten he had brandished from his coat, “have you been watching those Korean dramas?”

“Uh…”

He’s been caught, his lips quiver and he’s hot despite the snow falling atop their heads like his mind is melting and he wishes that Murdoc would have finished the job of killing him all those years ago because he doesn’t think he could live right now anymore-

She gives him a sharp tug and he staggers towards her, his head low enough for her to reach him, her lips grazing the shell of his ear coquettishly, “I like it.”

He takes a cautious glance at her, his heart in his ears, spellbound when he sees her teeth nibble at her lower lip and the snow that sticks to her dark lashes and her emerald eyes that glisten with a confident fire that entraps him with her gaze.

His eyes flutter close and allows her to consume him.


	18. 'cause we're working through it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 18: Sugar Plum  
> Written By: Hellyea2nuandmore
> 
> welcome friends, it’s me hellyea2nu again! This one is going to be including my 2nu kid, Rayne. I apologise if this is inaccurate to how 4 year olds act, my knowledge of children is not great.
> 
> For reference: this is the recipe I’m using  
> https://www.deliaonline.com/recipes/books/delias-happy-christmas/festive-sugar-plums

2D had wandered off to who knows where.

It wasn’t the first time this had happened on shopping trips, in fact it was normal for the singer to become distracted and walk away often getting himself lost in the process. He’d always turn up eventually, with either him finding them or they found him.

Noodle had always gotten worried whenever he disappeared even though she knew that he would turn up again soon. In addition,it left her trying to find him with a 4 year old child who only became more and more upset the longer 2D was gone. Her priority had switched from getting the christmas shopping to finding her lost boyfriend.

“Mum, where’s dad gone?” Rayne asked for the hundredth time today, running slightly to keep up with her mother.

“I don’t know,” Noodle started but stopped mid-sentence, coming to a complete halt in the middle of the pathway. She had spotted a familiar head of blue hair in the distance and felt the same feeling of relief well up within her she felt whenever he reappeared.

Before she could do anything to stop her, Rayne ran past Noodle as soon as she saw 2D. “Dad!” The toddler squealed happily on her way to greet him.

2D, who was in the middle of taking a selfie with a pair of teenage girls, looked down in surprise. The shocked look on his face, however, quickly gave way to a look of delight upon recognising Rayne. The 2 teenagers looked rather annoyed at their photo being interrupted.

“Hello there Rayne-drop,” 2D greeted the child, picking her up as she got close enough. “What are you doing here? Where’s your mother?”

“She’s right here,” Noodle answered for him as she approached. 2D grinned at her rather sheepishly seeing the less than thrilled expression on her face. The guitarist looked over at the two teenagers with a forced smile, pulling out a piece of paper. “Sorry for interrupting your photo,” she apologised as she scribbled her signature down before handing it to 2D.

Placing Rayne back on the ground, 2D did the same as her and handed it back.

“Have this instead,” Noodle offered. “I’m afraid we have to be on our way.” The 2 girls seemed to accept it and walked off without a word. 

“Who were they?” Rayne questioned, grabbing onto 2D’s hand as she watched them go.

“No need to worry about that Rayne-drop,” 2D assured her, ruffling her hair affectionately. “Just some people who wanted to say hi, that’s all.” 

Noodle frowned as she turned around to face 2D. “You can’t keep vanishing like this ‘D.”

2D nodded in agreement, wincing slightly at the accusing tone in her voice. “I know,” he admitted. “I’m sorry for worrying you so much.” 

Noodle sighed in defeat as she gave him a quick hug, unable to stay mad at him. “I wasn’t the only one worried,” she pointed out, pulling away from him to pick up Rayne. The child nodded in agreement with a pout, reaching out for him again.

The singer was quick to pull the 4 year old out of her arms and began cooing and fussing over her. “Hey, it’s ok I’m here,” he comforted in a hushed voice. “No need to be upset.” 

“So, where did you go this time?” Noodle asked curiously, guiding the three of them to one side of the hall so they weren’t in the way.

2D grinned as he seemed to remember something. Adjusting Rayne’s position in his arms slightly, he reached into a small bag he was carrying around and pulled out a clear plastic bag. Inside the bag were several small, purple sweets covered in sugar.

“Sugar plums,” he announced cheerfully. “I remembered that there was a sweet shop that sold these around this time of year so I went to get some and then, well, I…”

“Got lost?” Noodle finished for him with a raised eyebrow. 

2D nodded, blushing slightly in embarrassment. “Yeah…”

Noodle couldn’t help laughing slightly. “You’re a silly thing sometimes, Toochi,” she teased affectionately as she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek quickly. He gave her a small sheepish grin. 

They were interrupted by Rayne reaching for the bag of sweets, leaning across her father to try and reach them.

“Hey, no snatching,” Noodle scolded lightly, taking the sweets off of 2D. “If you want something you have to ask for it, remember?” 

Rayne pouted unhappily and turned to look at 2D with wide green eyes. “Please dad? Can I have some?” 

2D looked up from the toddler to meet Noodle’s eyes, a playful smirk on his face. “I don’t know, can she have some?” He asked her playfully. 

Noodle snorted in amusement, shaking her head with a smile as she looked at the bag. “Why have these sweets when I can make some at home?” she asked back. 

2D’s playfulness gave way to curiosity. “You can make these?” 

She nodded confidently. “With the correct recipe, I’m sure I can make sugar plums better than a shop,” she stated, tucking the sweets into her bag.

“Can I have some of those then?” Rayne piped up impatiently. 

“Once they’re made, of course you can,” Noodle cooed, affectionately pinching the child’s cheek. 

“Then we better finish the christmas shopping so she can get started, shouldn’t we Rayne-drop?” 2D kissed the child’s forehead quickly. They nodded in agreement as she wriggled around in an effort to get down.

Noodle chuckled quietly to herself as she took Rayne out of her boyfriend’s arms and placed her back on the ground, quickly grabbing hold of one hand so she couldn’t run off.

“We should,” she chimed in already walking down the hallway. “We still need to figure out what to buy Russ.”

“What kind of things does he want?” 2D asked curiously as he followed after her. 

“Not sure, just going to look around and see if anything just stands out to me.” Noodle admitted as she glanced through the windows of shops they passed by.

“Sounds like a plan, love.” 

\---

Many hours later, Noodle was stood at the counter putting the finishing touches on the home made sugar plums. 

She could hear the others in the living room juggling talking to each other and keeping Rayne entertained. Every now and again the chatter would be interrupted by the loud clatter of a toy hitting the ground followed by laughter from 2D and Russel but groans from Murdoc or yelps from whoever was nearly hit by a thrown toy.

She reminded herself to buy Rayne some more soft toys.

Noodle had kept herself busy for the last hour making the mixture, rolling it into a ball and was now rolling the little balls in a mix of sugar and spice. She decided to go without the little pieces of pistachio on top for now. She wasn’t sure how much Rayne would like them but hopefully she would try them.

Finishing the covering of the last one, she began to carefully place them on a decorative plate she’d brought back from Japan while on tour. Once satisfied with the arrangement, she picked it up and carried it through. 

Rayne was sat on the sofa next to 2D, looking at a picture book. She couldn’t read quite yet but she enjoyed looking at the pictures and asking 2D to read to her. There was a small collection of toys strewn around the foot of the sofa which she had abandoned. 

Russel was sat on an armchair alternating between reading a book and looking over at Rayne and 2D. As he glanced up as she entered, he noticed the plate in her hands and put the book down before standing up. He moved a small table further into the centre of the room making Rayne look up from her book.

Glancing up from Rayne, 2D grinned widely once he saw her. “Good evening Noods,” he greeted cheerfully.

Rayne looked up at her too, focus going straight to the plate in her hands. “Food!” she chirped excitedly. “Can I have one, please mum?”

“In a second,” Noodle chuckled as she put the plate on the table, nodding gratefully at Russel. The drummer sat down with a smile and picked his book up once more. Picking up one of the small candies, she gave it to Rayne. “Eat slowly now,” she reminded her sternly. “We don’t want you choking.”

Rayne nodded before taking a small bite, chewing slowly. There was a moment of silence following the first bite. The silence was broken by a content noise from Rayne who continued to eat it with more enthusiasm.

2D and Noodle breathed a sigh of relief at Rayne’s approval, both grabbing their own sugar plum. Noodle collapsed onto the sofa and leaned into the singer’s shoulders, almost purring when he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

As if called by some invisible sign, Murdoc sauntered in and snatched a sugar plum. After a quick examination, he simply grunted in approval and ate it in one bite.

Russel began to scold Murdoc about something or other, Noodle wasn’t really paying attention. Rather she was watching Rayne try to convince 2D to give her his sugar plum and failing. 2D was resolute in eating the candy, quickly stuffing it in his mouth before she could snatch it from him.

“That’s not fair!” Rayne protested, turning to face Noodle. “Mum tell him that’s not fair!”

“I don’t know, Rayne,” Noodle teased her, leaning over and pulling the child into her lap. “You’ve already had one but your dad hasn’t.”

Rayne pouted up at her but seemed to accept it with a small huff, crossing her arms dramatically.

Noodle looked up with a smile at her daughter’s dramaticness. Already her bandmates had started up a conversation about possible plans for next year. They were discussing their hopes and plans on what they wished to do. Noodle remained silent and chose not to participate, instead picked up a small stuffed toy from the floor and handing it to Rayne.

As Rayne looked up and smiled gratefully at her, she knew that if she could continue making Rayne happy for the next year then that was enough for her.


	19. are you leaving for the rest of it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 19: Evergreen  
> Written By: chinarai
> 
> An ending to Day 5: Reunited and Day 7: Ticket home

They sit together in the living room. The hot cocoa 2D had been drinking was found in their cabinet, way past its expiration date, not that he particularly cared, but it was also the last one. The pantry is empty, there are no logs at home, and the Christmas decoration is stored in the dusty attic. None of them feel like hunting for them now.

Katsu finds a place to nap on the mantel, curled up into herself to make up for the heater that broke from disuse. Noodle dresses in her coat and scarf again, and 2D bundles up in a blanket that must smell like the ghosts of moths. He sneezes every few minutes, so Noodle can imagine how pleasant it smells. 

After the tearful reunion, they fall into a somewhat awkward silence. Noodle, hyper aware of her feelings for 2D, decides that not speaking at all is the best way to keep the secret to herself. She doesn’t know why he is just as quiet. Maybe it has something to do with the radio silence. Whatever it is, she’s not going to be the one to speak first, so she settles into the lumpy couch and watches the flickering light bulb. 

2D is scratching the fabric of the armrest with his nail, the noise almost too loud in the old living room. “I’m sorry again,” he says, voice quiet. “I know it’ll take time for you to forgive me. Just thought I needed to... Get away.”

She turns to him slowly, folded arms resting over her stomach. “I’m not mad at you for leaving, D. You needed to do what you thought was right.” 

“Then why are you sitting all the way over there?”

Noodle looks at the space between them, six feet at most. With each sitting at an end of the couch, it feels like a chasm. It wasn’t her intention to sit so far away, it had just happened. “I didn’t mean to.” She says with a slight shrug. “I just - sat down.” 

He blinks, slowly, then chuckles. “Okay, then. Can we-?” 2D makes a gesture, and she moves closer at the same time he does, legs bumping together as they meet at the center of the couch. 

This - this is familiar. This makes her heart skip, her side branded with his body heat. Noodle can’t keep her head from rolling and resting on his shoulder, and nearly sighs out when his cheek presses to the top of her head. His arm comes to rest over her shoulders, hand falling on her arm and tugging her closer still. She goes willingly, until every bit of space between them is vanquished. 

2D’s fingers move along her arm. Even if it’s not skin to skin contact, her flesh is covered in bumps. “I think you’d like it there.” 

“Where did you go?” 

“Rio de Janeiro.” He says, the Portuguese he’s learned over the years showing through. “It’s not perfect, but the beach was beautiful. New Year celebrations are very big, with lots of fireworks.

Noodle sinks into him a little more. “Really?” She likes fireworks and the beach - Plastic Beach is so far down her list it shouldn’t even be considered, though. “Maybe one day.” 

He hums, and she feels the rumbles of his chest. “Where did you go?”

“Too many places.” She can try to name them all, but probably won’t remember. “Spent the first few months travelling around Japan. It was nice to see Mr. Kyuzo again after so long. Then I went to... Bahamas, I think, the Swiss Alps, many European and American cities. Australia, and some other Asian countries too. Visited Central America… Acapulco, Havana, the Caribbean Sea.” Noodle pauses, trying to recall other places - oh. “Fuck.”

2D turns to look down at her. “Hmm?”

“I went to Chile.” She hisses, and he chuckles softly. “Why are you laughing? I was so close to you and didn’t know.” 

“I’m sorry, love.” Softly, he treads his long fingers through her hair. “But to be fair... I didn’t want to be found at the time.” 

Noodle falls quiet, playing with the fringed ends of her scarf. “What about the next time?” 

His hands cease moving. “What do you mean?”

“What about the next time you leave?” She repeats, fisting the soft material in her hands. “What then?”

2D remains immobile for a few breaths, then resumes combing her hair very deliberately, taking his time to think of a proper reply. Noodle returns to braiding the fringed ends, eyes downcast to her lap. They’re always parting ways and coming together, and the cycles repeats itself. Maybe Gorillaz was never meant to stick together. Maybe all they do is come back together when it’s convenient. 

His chest expands with a deep breath and she braces herself. “The next time... If there is a next time,” 2D begins, twirling a lock of dark hair around his finger. “I’d like you to find me, Noodle.” 

She freezes.

“But,” he continues, and she’s already been crushed by that previous statement. “If it does come to it, I would rather have you come with me.” 

Her lungs stop working, brain screeching to a halt. Noodle is aware that 2D is pulling away from her, twisting his body to gauge her reaction. She can only stare wide eyed at her motionless hands, the scarf slipping from her grasp and the tiny braids unraveling. 

“What?” She whispers, dragging her eyes up to look at him. And 2D looks so... Earnest. 

“I mean it,” he says, resting a warm hand on hers. “If the band splits again, would you come with me?” 

For the second time that night, her eyes tear up. Noodle doesn’t try to hold the tears back, nodding, and 2D cradles her hands in his, placing sweet kisses on her knuckles. Nothing else needs to be said, it gets the message across. He cups her face and she holds onto his sweater, and he dips in closer, lips melding into her, a little dry, but so tender. 

2D kisses her like he needs it, needs this, needs her. It’s sweet at first but it gains strength, pushing her back until he’s crowding her against the backrest. She leans back, lets him guide the way and follows his lead, humming in appreciation when he squeezes her waist. 

A jingle of keys draw them apart, breathless, lips bitten red and shiny from their kiss. Noodle pats her hair down as 2D scoots a little distance away. Russel’s voice reaches them, joined later by Ace’s laughter. And a third voice they know very well. 

She gives 2D a mall, secretive smile, and together they stand up from the couch.

They’re together now. It’s more than she’s ever hoped for. 


	20. watch the worker bees

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 20: Snowflakes  
> Written By: Hellyea2nuandmore

Snowflakes drifted down from the sky and fluttered away from her with every breath.The cold bit cruelly at her uncovered skin. Her body had become numb a long time ago yet the cold air found a way through. It felt like millions of tiny needles were pricking at her skin every second she stayed out here.

Yet she refused to move.

“Noodle, please come back inside,” Russel pleaded with her from the doorway.

Noodle remained silent. All she could do at that moment was stare down the empty street feeling empty and lonelier than she had ever felt before.

“Noodle you’re going to freeze out here,” Russel tried to reason with her, voice now desperate. “Just...please come in. ‘D will come back eventually, he has nowhere else to go.”

“I can’t,” Noodle whispered quietly, failing to stifle her shivering. “I just can’t Russ.”

Murdoc huffed in impatience and frustration. “Noodle you better get back inside right now,” he threatened, voice raising to a shout. “If you don’t I’ll-”

“You’ll what?” Noodle snapped back fiercely, turning to glare at him. “You’re already yelling at me right now, aren’t you?”

“Why you little-” Murdoc snarled but was held back by Russel.

“Noodle, we’re all concerned for 2D like you are,” the drummer explained calmly. “But it won’t do us any good if you freeze to death!”

She didn’t respond, simply looking from her bandmates to the empty street. Her shoulders sagged in defeat, reluctantly re-entering the house.

\---

Fights between the band members weren’t uncommon. In fact they were pretty much everyday occurrences. 

This one, however, was worse than most of them. Even some of their bigger ones.

Noodle’s mind was still hazy from a mix of the cold and her emotions. The reason for the fight was escaping her but it had escalated to all 4 of them yelling at each other. It had been about something about the band she assumed, it was the most common causes of the larger scale arguments.

Though she couldn’t remember why it had begun, she could remember how it ended vividly. The image of 2D getting up and leaving the house repeated in her head over and over.

Early evening had transitioned into the dead of night and the singer had still not returned.

The snowfall had only gotten worse as time had passed which only made her worry more.

Was he safe? Was he ok when it was so cold outside?

Her bandmates had fallen asleep a long time ago but Noodle was unable to. She could only stare out the window at the snowflakes falling, clinging to the faint hope of seeing 2D return.

Snowflakes were odd things. Each one was unique and no two looked same. Each one was beautiful in their own right yet so fragile. Yet when they all came together they created a sheet of white on the ground. Something much larger than the individual parts.

Noodle thought it was beautiful.

\---

Hours passed by and still there was no sign of 2D.

Noodle had moved downstairs having grown tired of sitting in her bedroom. Staring out the living room window, she could no longer see the ground outside. The snowfall had died down to a small flurry after covering the ground in a thick blanket of snow. She would take the time to appreciate the beauty of it but her eyes had focused onto something moving in the distance.

Someone was walking hastily down the street, as if trying to run but unable to do so. Every now and again they seemed to trip over themselves, sending them stumbling forwards a few steps.

Noodle perked up as she watched them get close to the house.

She realised with a jolt that they were indeed aiming for it.

2D.

Scrambling to her feet, Noodle ran to the front door and flung it open. The singer jumped and cried out in surprise, almost falling over backwards. There was a moment of silence where all they could do was stare at each other, neither sure of what to say.

Noodle breathed shakily, stepping aside to let him in. Once he was safely inside, she closed the door and walked past him and back into the living room.

2D could only stand in the doorway and watch her light the fireplace. He wanted to say something, anything, but he couldn’t bring himself to. He could only watch as she stood back up and turning to face him.

It was clear that she was angry. She wasn’t making eye contact and focused solely on the floor.

“Noodle I…”

“Where have you been?” Noodle asked, voice dangerously quiet. “You’ve been gone almost all night.”

He hung his head in shame knowing he couldn’t deny that. “I’m sorry for worrying you,” he tried to apologise.

“Worry me?” The guitarist almost yelled in disbelief. “You had me terrified for your health, Stuart.” She saw him wince at the use of his birth name. “I had no idea if you would be ok or if you’d even come back!”

She took a moment to compose herself, realising it wouldn’t do any good to yell at him.

“You must be freezing,” she sighed, softening her voice considerably. “Just come sit by the fire and I’ll get you some tea.”

2D smiled up at her awkwardly and shuffled towards one of the sofas. “Thanks Noods,” he mumbled gratefully as she left the room.

\---

When the guitarist returned, she brought a cup of tea as promised as well as a thick blanket.

Once he had been wrapped up in the blanket and given the hot drink, Noodle sat down next to him. Nothing was said for a while, they just sat in silence in front of the fireplace. Noodle’s previous anger dissipated and turned into relief that he was safe and here.

“So where did you go after the argument?” Noodle asked curiously. “You never answered.”

“I wandered around town a little at first,” 2D began to explain. “I wasn’t sure where to go but didn’t want to come back yet. I just walked around but ended up getting lost and then it got colder and the snow got worse so I took shelter I guess in the nearest public building after a while. A small bar or nightclub I think it was.”

“And you just spent the night there?”

“Yeah until I realised how late it was and knew I had to come back,” He finished. “I didn’t realise you would still be awake.”

Noodle shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep,” she told him. “Not until I knew you were back and were safe.” His head lowered again, clearly feeling guilty over worrying her. Before she could even process what she was doing, she leaned into his shoulder.

2D jolted slightly at the action but couldn’t bring himself to move. Her eyes were half closed as she finally began to fall asleep slowly.

“You falling asleep on me, love?” he teased her, a small grin on his face.

“No, just resting my eyes,” Noodle mumbled into his shoulder. Her words were slurred slightly and difficult to differentiate. Even if she refused to admit it, he could tell she was nearly asleep.

The evening had been a long and rough one for the both of them, but if every bad day ended in moments like this then he could deal with them.

All worries were just memories. It was just them able to relax after a long day.

Outside a few snowflakes continued to fall, gently dancing in the wind.

Unique yet fragile.

But beautiful in their own ways.


	21. working through the night shift

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 21: Bundle Up  
> Written By: moomoos
> 
> Posting for our special guest star writer who doesn't have an account.

2D took a slow, ample drag of his cigarette as he meandered along the snow-dusted footpath. The smoke engulfed his senses as it swirled into the endless, cold twilight above. While the twinkle of endless stars was a rather alluring sight to Stuart in most circumstances, it did little to cease the pessimistic scowl forming on his features that night. 

He felt stupid. Like an utter fool.

Currently 2D acted as a driving instructor for Sudden Impact Driving School, a rather ironic name, now that Stuart thought on it. Often the days didn’t run too long and he was home by 6 at the latest, but today was just an infinite whirlwind of adversity, and before the singer knew it, he was lethargically stumbling home at two in the morning.

“Damned guy wasn’t looking where he was goin’.... could’ve killed me and tha’ kid if I hadn’t grabbed that steerin’ wheel in time...”, The disgruntled man huffed under his breath, haphazardly tossing his cigarette on the sidewalk and crushing the burning embers into the gravel as he continued on.

It had taken hours sorting out what had happened with the police, let alone the parents of the poor kid. Why they didn’t spend that time to do something useful like tracking down that reckless driver, Stuart did not know. He was just relieved it wasn’t a full-on accident, after all, Noodle would kill him if he ever-

‘Oh, Noodle....’, 2D remembered with a deep frown, the heel of his hand hitting his forehead in regret.

He just recalled what he was scowling about. It wasn’t the minor accident, it wasn’t even the fact that he missed the first bus home afterwards. No, it was the fact that yesterday was the day a beautiful woman asked if they could go out to the movies after he got out of work, and he blew it.

Her voice rang through his head like a banging gong of guilt. “I can’t wait for the movie tonight, Stu! The thought gives me an insatiable hunger for braaAAAAINS!”, she said as he walked out the door, her best impression of a zombie making 2D grin goofily as he closed the door behind him.

He really messed up this time. Stuart didn’t like to disappoint anyone, but Noodle was different. Not that he often let Noodle down, but when he did, he could feel it in his heart. A distinct feeling of sadness and regret.

2D fumbled with his keys as he walked up the front steps of the band’s current flat. With a swift motion, he cracked open the front door and stepped in. 

“I-I’m home....”, 2D whispered instinctually, his hoarse voice echoing into the dark, empty hallway.

The singer kicked off his sneakers in a sluggish manner onto the floor, nearly followed by his jacket until he felt a sudden chill in the air, opting him to pull it closer to his slender frame.

2D scoffed, assuming Murdoc didn’t pay for the heat again. During December of all months!

‘Why for the love of sweet Satan would I pay for heat when SEX has been the ultimate heat-maker since the dawn of man?!”, the bassist would always argue.

2D’s face contorted in disgust. “Dirty cheapskate....”, he whispered under his breath.

Stuart’s hand ran along the freezing, graffitied walls of the staircase, his face slightly cringing at the thought of Noodle being in this type of cold all day. 

‘If I had it my way, I’d stay home with her all day, maybe even warm her up some....’, 2D thought as he reached the top step, the very thought making his eyes widen in surprise. 

He ran a hand down the side of his face with a grumble, irritated by the sudden, intrusive thought. It’s not that he hated the idea of cuddling up with her, on the contrary, he liked the idea too much. The problem lied with the fact that last thing 2D wanted was to scare Noodle away, and he feared that if an “old man” like him had happened to develop feelings for her, it just might. 

The whole situation nearly gave the poor frontman a headache just thinking about it. He slumped against the wall at the top of the staircase, when a sudden noise caught his attention.

“Mhnn....”, came a voice from the living room. It was faint and hushed, but if 2D had anything going for him, it was his keen sense of hearing.

2D peered into the room with quieted footfalls, a blue haze of moving light casting over the dark forms of the coffee table and couch from the muted television. A figure laid asleep on the cushions, the remote still lying in the hand of their outstretched arm as their head delicately rested upon the pillow at the far end of the couch. 

“Noodle...?”, 2D whispered as he cautiously stalked toward the sleeping form.

At the sound of 2D’s voice, Noodle stirred in her sleep, turning to her side as she hugged the pillow closer to her face. Her hand released the remote onto the plush carpet with a soundless thud.

2D quietly chuckled to himself as he leaned over, picking up the discarded remote and placing it neatly onto the coffee table. As the singer’s vision shifted back to the guitarist, he couldn’t help but find her more than slightly hypnotic. Her deep purple locks cascaded elegantly atop the pillow, mouth lifting into a sweet smile as she slept.

2D couldn’t seem to stop his lips from doing the same as her infectious smile overtook his features. Unconsciously, he moved himself to sit at her feet, the cushion morphing to the new distribution of weight. 

“I’m amazed you even fell asleep with how cold it is down here...”, 2D whispered quietly, suddenly frowning at the realization that she had no blanket. With the faintest of a touch as to not wake her from her deep slumber, the singer hesitantly reached out to feel her lower leg, quickly pulling back in surprise. ‘She’s freezing...’

2D stood from his spot on the couch, black orbs shifting along the stretch of the room for something to warm her with. As he took a step forward to continue his search, he nearly tripped onto the coffee table at the sensation of something tugging at his foot. 

A blanket that had seemingly fallen on the floor now wrapped around the frontman’s foot, catching the eye of the prisoner in its clutches. Knowing what a klutz he was, 2D was amazed that he hadn’t fallen and broken everything in the room just from the little blanket. Noodle always joked about him having “two left feet”.

With a sigh of relief, 2D pulled the blanket out from under him, engulfing the girl’s petite frame with the plush comforter. The warmth seemed much appreciated, as Noodle seemed to melt at the touch of its velvety fabric, a content exhale escaping her soft lips as she nuzzled into her makeshift bed.

With a defeated sigh, 2D sat back onto the coffee table behind him. He knew she was asleep, but he just had to say something, anything to alleviate the weight all these thoughts put on his shoulders.

“I’m...sorry I didn’t make it home in time to go to that movie with you, Noodle... it hurts so much when I disappoint you.... you’re the last person I’d ever want to make sad and-...y’know what? Maybe Murdoc is right. Maybe I am just a dullard.... A pretty girl asks to hang out and I can’t even do that right.”, 2D rambled quietly, putting his head into his hands.

“G’night, Noods...and try not to kick your blanket off this time, alright? You’ll catch a col’ with no heat in this bloody house....”, the singer continued as he stood to leave.

Before he could turn to walk out the doorway, a small hand reached out and gripped at the leg of his pants. 2D nearly yelped at the sudden contact, but his gaze quickly softened when he turned to see Noodle’s eyes still closed, unconsciously tugging at the fabric of his jeans.

“S.....tu.....”, Noodle slurred in a hushed tone.

“What is it, Noodle....?”, 2D inquired, muscles relaxing at the realization that she was sleep talking, not genuinely awake.

“C....cold....”, she sighed, her grip slightly loosening its hold on the singer’s jeans.

‘She’s still cold...? I see...It’d probably be a lot warmer for her in her bed... a couch and a blanket isn’t exactly the warmest thing in the world....”, 2D thought pensively, looking her shivering form up and down.

‘Don’t do it, Stu...’, a voice beckoned from within as he moved forward.

‘What if she wakes up....?”, the voice warned again as he shifted his arms underneath her sleeping form.

“...I can’t believe I’m doing this...but I can’t just leave her here...”, 2D sighed under his breath, gently lifting her light form into his arms. 

The blanket slid off of Noodle’s lax body, silently cascading onto the couch below. 2D cursed under his breath, but opted to leave it instead of attempting to juggle holding Noodle, balancing himself, and fishing for the blanket all at once. He started to walk slowly, his socked feet padding quietly along the carpet.

‘She’s much easier to carry than I thought she would be...’, 2D smiled triumphantly, eyes slightly shifting along the shape of the woman in his arms.

At the sight of the bottom of her shirt slightly riding up along her torso, 2D’s breath hitched, his gaze hastily averting the sudden exposure of skin. The singer could feel his cheeks burning at the feeling of Noodle’s bare legs folded along his right arm, and all of the sudden it became harder and harder to ignore every little detail about her.

‘She smells nice too...’, 2D thought to himself as an airy, floral scent from her clothing engulfed his senses.

After becoming hyper-aware of the situation, a woman now elegantly resting upon his chest as he walked up the steps, 2D felt a slight wobble to his walk. The very feeling of being so close to Noodle was almost too much for Stuart to handle.

Noodle’s head shifted upward in the motion of 2D’s moving form, causing her face to tilt closer to his face.

As she sighed airily in her sleep, her hot breath caressed the sensitive skin of Stuart’s bare neck.

“Stu......”

2D’s eyes shot open wide and with a surprised gasp, he hurried his pace up the stairs towards Noodle’s room.

‘No, no, no, NO! THIS IS TOO MUCH! I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE!’, 2D’s thoughts pounded against his skull as he flung open Noodle’s door and hastily (but gently) placed Noodle onto her mattress.

With a panicked motion, the singer casted Noodle’s bedding upon her body, and ran out of her room, slamming her door with a loud bang.

Heart beating a mile a minute, 2D ran up to his room, only to slump against his door at the top of the staircase, cheeks burning warmly as his hand reached up to touch his neck.

“I’ve got it bad....”

——————————————————

Noodle nuzzled into her pillow, a satisfied smile tugging at her lips.

“How could I stay mad at that....”


	22. coming back to ghosts inside

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 22: Frozen  
> Written By: mahreemari

They’re going to some fancy wooden cottage resort in Germany that Murdoc booked in a drunken fancy while scrolling the internet. He had told them that very morning, in a frenzy, his eyes dazed as he stumbled around their place, banging on their doors, his voice in a bellow.

“Wake up you lumps! We’re going to Germany!!”

He stomped everywhere, his suitcase half-zipped, underwear and sleeves sticking out from the sides.

Russel had come out then, a grim expression on his face, his nightcap slipping to the side of his head as she watched, her hip leaning against the doorframe as she rubbed her eyes.

“What time?” he grumbled.

Murdoc swiveled in his spot, nearly falling over his trunk, a gnarly finger pointed in the air and shouted, “Now!”

Russel grunted, turning back into his room, slamming door with an annoyed bang.

“Noods!” Murdoc barked, “Get 2D!”

Noodle sighed.

Goodness.

-

It was a sordid affair, making way in the airport, the mass of people making the place smell like Katsu’s litter box after eating old tuna.

Russel stood by the check-in counter, the line long and sluggish. Murdoc had disappeared from them, running off the men’s room, greener than his usual skin tone.

Serves him right though, for waking them up to fly at 4AM.

Noodle sat in a waiting chair, the aisles full of other occupants waiting for their flights to open. Children, elderly, and adults alike, were all like zombies. She included. She kicked her feet, the tips of her winter boots hitting her luggage absentmindedly.

“Noodle?”

“Hmm?”

She blinked sleepily at the singer, his eye bags deep set with exhaustion.

“I heard if you get frozen enough, even snow is warm.”

She snorted.

“Even if it’s warm, I’d rather be going to Brazil.”

-

Germany is cold.

Noodle hates it.

Kind of.

It’s freezing.

-

They arrive to the snowy mountain top, ski lifts and hills and snow gear all around them. Noodle quickly enters in the main building, the others hot on her heels to flee from the cold.

It’s smaller than it looks outside, she notices, wooden walls and a fire crackling, there are shedding evergreens laced with fairy light and a warm smell of cinnamon and spice floating around in the air.

A clerk greets them with an excited gleam, no doubt a fan of them. She checks them in slowly, as if to drag out their presence before her, Noodle smiles politely, nodding her head as the girl takes their information. From behind her, a distinct ding tones the air – it’s probably from Ace, then there’s a shuffle and she holds in a ticklish squeal as 2D’s hand moves, so close to her bum, to retrieve her phone from her back pocket.

He taps in her pin. When had she given him her pin? She’s curious.

She turns to look up at him, his blue hair covered by a furry checkered earflap hat, “How do you know my password?”

He looks at her, the corner of his lip curving up in a teasing smirk, “It’s Katsu, everyone knows.”

Russel pats her shoulder, agreeing with the singer, “It’s was pretty obvious.”

“Oh.”

-

They go skiing the next day over, their initial arrival too tiresome to do anything on day one and bothersome to deal with Murdoc as he nurses his hangover. She’s munching on a roll, the bread buttery and flaky as she listens to her bandmates prattle about the lifts and the ice carving show that was going to happen that night.

“Well, who’s going to get Ace?”

“Isn’t he coming here himself?”

“Nah, he needs someone to get him.”

Noodle takes a bite of schnitzel, the crunch from the fried meat breading pleasant.

“How about,” she munches, her free finger touching the tip of her nose, “Nose goes?”

In a flash, she watched with amused eyes as 2D and Murdoc fight each over to touch their noses; Russel lazily sipping his coffee with his free hand as 2D evades Murdoc’s outreached palm.

2D clutches his nose, his voice nasally as he sniggers at the bassist, “Nose goes Muds, your trip – you get him.”

Then a waffle is thrown, a strawberry is tossed, and small syrupy chaos takes place in the dining hall.

Noodle prays that they don’t get kicked out when powdered sugar cakes her face.

She joins in anyways.

With two cups of orange juice in her hands.

And laughter.

-

Noodle stands at the top a hill, the vast white snow blinding from the way it reflects the sun, it is like a tundra, only instead of animals, it was people in brightly colored snowsuits and instead of snowstorms, it was long lines at the hot cocoa booth and the ski lifts.

She squints her eyes as she looks around, unable to see anyone at the height of the hill, they all looked like ants.

The sharp crunch of ice and snow pads closer and she turns to see who it is.

“Quite high, aren’t you?”

“Yeah, well,” 2D wobbles over to her, going slow due to the skis attached to his feet, “Murdoc and Ace took over the bunny hill.”

She shakes her head, “Of course.”

Noodle looks at him, the navy parka making his pale skin even lighter and the spread of pinkness on his nose to his cheeks from the chill even pinker. Her eyes flicker to his lips like it’s a distraction, ignores urge to slide her fingers across them, and pushes her googles down, wrapping the world in orange.

She tilts her head, the loose black tendrils following her movement, “Race you?”

He flashes her an open-mouth beam, gaps and everything, and it’s the prettiest thing she’s ever seen.

“You’re on!”

-

It’s more of a tumble than a race.

He tried to showoff towards the end, causing his legs to cross and by instinct, she tried to catch him, only to lose her balance as well.

Now here they were.

Alone.

Frozen.

Stuck knee-deep, her forehead touches his, their breaths mingling in a small fog, their hands touching through their gloves – she wishes it were his skin, wanting to touch the palms of his rough hands, he always was bad with applying lotion, but she liked the feeling anyway.

Noodle pecks his bottom lip, unable to help herself, her face rosy from both the cold German air and the heat from her heart, and tugs at him.

She falls into the snow, her body sinking deep, black eyes twinkle, watching her with a helpless grin as she brings him down with her.

How warm, she thinks.


	23. or is it too late for that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 23: Figgy Pudding  
> Written By: crypticpanda, Hellyea2nuandmore, and mahreemari
> 
> (It is in fact way too late for me to write something serious. Enjoy.) - crypticpanda

Squinting his eyes, 2D carefully measured the amount of flour, making sure it wouldn’t be any more or less than the recipe said. This was a competition. And he wasn’t about to lose. He glanced towards Noodle, who was just as focused as he was, simmering the chopped figs, currants, water, rum, and brandy on top of their stove. Of course, she would get the cool part.

Noodle noticed his staring and shot him a challenging smile, before lighting up the whole mixture in front of her.

“Oh no you don’t”, he whispered as he threw the rest of his breadcrumbs in the giant bowl in front of him. Disgruntled he dusted off his hands full of flour in her direction, grinning in triumph as she let out a deep gasp.

“What did you do that for?”, she exclaimed in mock horror, her hands already fishing for the leftover dried figs in an attempt of brutal retaliation.

“What did I do what for? Oh, you mean this?”

With one swat of his hand, the entire side of her once black shirt was now covered in white pulver. 2D wasn’t able to celebrate his win for long though, as Noodle immediately reached for an egg. In horror he could only watch her jump gracefully on top of the table, so she could reach over his head. His vision went blue. Hair falling into his face, covered with the slimy insides of the eggshells, now abandoned on the kitchen floor, Noodle towering over him, a laugh befitting of a movie villain leaving her mouth. If this wasn’t defeat, he didn’t know what else it could be. But NO! He would never give up. This was his moment. His moment to finally prove himself worthy to be the lead singer. Worthy to defeat the Evil in front of him. Blindly he reaches out his arms, feeling for anything that might be within reach. His stomach turned as his nails dug into the warm, molten buttery leftovers, probably flung from their original location onto the ground in their heated battle. His teeth clenched, he grabbed the goo as best as he could and with his last power reserves he hurled it towards the shadowy figure standing above him, unexpecting of the terror that was to come.

“Y- … Yeet”, he whispered quietly, sinking to the ground.

This was it.

His consciousness fading, the last thing he would witness was the downfall of the queen, her fall from grace, defeated by his own hand.

Defeated by the butter.

The kingdom would mourn, but he would know he did the right thing.

He watched as she sank down to her knees.

Not ever again will she be able to impress anyone with her amazing cooking skills.

But he? He too had fallen on the battlefield, a soldier. A soldier for the people, for honor and peace. The things he truly stood for.

Drawing his last breath, he looked upon the battlefield around them.

So much destruction.

But it would heal.

His sacrifice made sure of that.

“I- I defeated the evil… Remember… me- for who I truly was...”

“What the fuck are you talking about D?”

His death noble, the blue haired, black eyed God, shall never be forgotten.

-

-

-

A deep kitchen clean and a fresh shower later, 2D stood next to Noodle, also squeaky clean, her hair damp and smelt of watermelon.

“Hey.”

She quirked a delicate brow, “Hello.”

“You were right you know? To buy those Christmas cakes from the store.”

She let out a laugh, plating the tiny, barely salvageable figgy puddings atop of a festive ceramic platter. Noodle shuffled a bit to the side, allowing him elbow room to open the plastic cake cover, she held a hand out, ready to take the little cakes from him.

“I was inspired by Murdoc after he bought those mince pies. I already knew we were going to mess up.”

2D furrowed his brows, “Really? But we were doing so well?”

Noodle nibbled on the final cake from the container, unable to find spot to place it on the platter, she reached over to him, her fingers pinching the skin of his cheek until it turned rosy.

“Yeah, well,” she sniffed, avoiding his eyes, the tip of her ears red, “You make me goofy.”

Then she looked at him, frosting on her lip and expectant emerald eyes, he felt as soft as the butter he tossed at her earlier.

“You make me all goofy too,” he chuckled, “I like it.”

A smile painted her pretty lips and he felt an urge to kiss away the frosting to see it better.

So, he leaned down and did so.

She was very sweet.


	24. and i'm working through it

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 24: Mistletoe  
> Written By: mahreemari

They’ve been decorating the house for the whole day, nothing fancy, just small things and baubles and various lights. It’s nothing too bad, nothing too lavish or ugly – just festive. They had set up the tree earlier, a cheap few tens of pounds to get a pre-lit tree from the local store and adorned it with both the little ornaments they had kept through the many years and the sparkly ones Ace had bought with Murdoc that shed glitter with every miniscule sway.

He takes a plastic bag of ceiling decorations and begins to climb the ladder. He looks over to Noodle, looking down at from the ladder as she bends over the railing, an evergreen garland in her hands. His eyes rove around her form, sticking a second or four too long on her bum, before he coughs and turned his head away to look at the ceiling, looking at the tinsel and ribbons that covered up old stains. Being the tallest member, he was given the task to deal with the higher decorations.

2D sticks a hand in blindly, frowning when he sees the thing he pulls out.

Mistletoe.

This, he doesn’t like.

2D does not like mistletoe, doesn’t like the red berries that shine like buttons and the sharp green leaves that point and stick. He doesn’t like their meaning, the way they trap people in their spots until someone is kissed and then they are free.

Again, he looks at Noodle, crunching the plastic plant in his hand.

Then the memory comes.

He thinks back to when she was twenty-four, standing in the shadows under an expensive archway, champagne flute in hand, her shoulders pale and bare, shaking slight when she tips back her head to let out a burst of laughter. He remembers her then, the way her hand touches some fancy looking bloke's shoulder, slipping around his neck and pulling him close with a smug smile, pressing her lips to the man's, a bright red mark smudge on other when they part.

He remembers the man's hands on her waist, steadying Noodle when she takes a misstep in her stilettos, the red sequins of her tight dress beaming under the new-found light. He remembers the way his eyes squinted, the odd way his chest twisted, nailing digging into his palms, turning way only when some pretty lady he didn't know came up to him, bountiful breasts pressing against his arm as she led him to the bar. He remembers the courteous smile he gives to the woman, entertaining her with idle chatter and strained words when she gets too near, peeking over her shoulder to look for a red skirt. He remembers the drinks he downs when he sees Noodle disappear, hanging off the arm of the stranger. He remembers when she doesn’t come home that night.

2D climbs down the ladder without a word and crosses the room.

He looks down at the decorative mistletoe in his hand and frowns once more, tossing it into the pile of broken decorations.

When they ask him, his gaze flits to Noodle’s and tells her he does not like it.


	25. working through your nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Day 25: Christmas Past  
> Written by: mahreemari, crypticpanda, and chinarai

_ What is the past? Technically it is everything that happened before this very minute. This very moment. Technically you’re living in the past. Everything you do is something that happened in the past. Every single movement. Every single breath. Every single word you speak. It all lies in the past. It is over. It is over and can never be undone. There is no now. There is no present. Everything either lies in the past or future. There is no inbetween.  _

_ How can something so endless like the past be condensed into such a short word? Four letters to describe our entire existence.  _

Noodle stood on the porch, pondering. 

_ What is time? Does something like it exist in the first place? Or is it just movement? Constant movement to progress the state of existence? Like the clockwork of a watch. Not time, but cogwheels and pins making the hands of the watch keep a neverending beat. Like the human body. Flesh growing and falling apart soon after reaching maturity. Like the rising and setting of the sun. Just the Earth turning and turning. Even after the last one of them would perish into nothingness, it would continue to turn, until the planet itself would eventually fall apart, making place for new life, or nothing at all.  _

She had woken up in a sweat, legs tangled in her bedsheets, hands shaking.

It had taken a few minutes for her to calm down from the nightmare. No. No nightmare. The memories, her past. 

Memories from a time long gone. Memories that still haunted her, may it be at day or at night. Her past that still caught up with her until this very day. One would think she would be able to put it behind her. She had a new life now. She had been given a second chance. 

Why did she still look back?

It’s because she couldn’t forget.

At first she had accepted it. She had been a child.

But the older she got, the more she understood.

Why her? Why not anyone else? 

23.

It could have been anyone else. 

So why her?

Was it fate? Was it coincidence?

Whatever it was, it saved her. 

It saved her and gave her a chance at living a normal life. A life without pain. Yet here she was. Trapped in her past, shaped and defined by it.

Almost every night a painful reminder of what has passed, another agonizing few minutes stuck in her head reliving moments she would rather leave behind. 

She hid it well. The others didn’t need to know these thoughts were still plaguing. After all, she was dealing with it. She could do this on her own. She always did. 

She let out a shuddering breath. 

She always did.

Until now. 

  
  


2D walked up behind her, his steps heavy and slow, the floorboards beneath him creaking underneath his weight. 

“Wha’ are you doing Noods? Iz too early.”

“Nothing,” she smiled at him “Just thinking.”

“‘bout what?”

He leaned against the railing next to her. 

“Just stuff?”

“... Stuff.”

“Yeah.”

She sighed. It was no use hiding things from 2D. He might not be the smartest person out there, but he could always tell when there was something off about her or the others.

“Nightmare,” she admitted after a few seconds of silence.

“Hmm… A really bad one?”

“Yeah.”

She glanced towards the blue haired man. He was struggling with keeping his eyes open, slowly blinking while staring at the grey early morning sky. Goosebumps were covering the bare skin on his arms, the cold air making his hair stand straight. 

“Thanks for coming out here. You didn’t have to.”

“Couldn’t leave you out here, alone with your thoughts, right?”

She chuckled.

“I would have been alright.”

“Of course you would.”

“Yeah.”

“You know you don’t have to be?”

He let out a sigh, the small breath of air curling like a gentle fog, tilting his head towards her, his face barely showing through the morning dawn. 2D took her clenched fists, smoothing them out with gentle hands.

“How about we do something else?” he muttered as he stood up straight, stretching his back. With a tired smile he held out his hand for her. She accepted it. 

The door opened with a creaky groan, the hinges damaged by time, the very time which also kept tormenting her, over and over again. Just for now, she decided to forget about it.

Their house was dark but with careful steps he led them both to the living room corner where their tree sat near the hearth. 

Together they settled down on the floor; With his tongue stuck between his teeth 2D crawled up to the stack of clumsy wrapped gifts. He plucked a small box from the top of the small stack and gingerly handed it to her. 

“Go on now,” he gestured towards her and she had to squint to kind of make out his features.

With slow movements, she tore the paper, the sound drawn out horribly from her trying to be as quiet as possible. A small box was revealed in her hands. 

“Open it.”

With a crack, she popped open the lid and the house filled up with lights. 

In surprise, she looked up and turned her head in wonder, bathing in the warm LEDs.

Her eyelids fluttered, looking for 2D amidst the shining lights. His arms were raised, in his grasp a little necklace with a mistletoe at the center. 

Slowly she reached towards the pendant, tracing it carefully with her right thumb.

Only her willpower made her able to look away from it, into the glowing eyes of the man sitting across from her. His smile was illuminated by the shining fairy lights around him. 

“I think,” she whispers, “I like this present.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for sticking with us for the past 25 days! It's been wonderful to create more 2nu content and to work with such talented artists. We hope it's been enjoyable for all of you! Happy holidays!

**Author's Note:**

> follow us on tumblr: [chinarai](https://chinaraiart.tumblr.com/) | [hellyea2nu](https://hellyea2nu.tumblr.com/) | [mahreemari](https://mahreemari.tumblr.com/) | [xpandaface](https://xpandaface.tumblr.com/)


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